Apart from the three daily chanting periods, there are special ceremonies for other occasions. Memorial services are quite frequent. Offerings of food are placed on an altar and monks chant, accompanied by the periodic ringing of small hand bells and the rhythmic beating of the mokt'ak. Every two weeks, on the day the monks shave their heads, and wash and mend clothes; there is a ceremony and teaching delivered by a senior monk; the ceremony is open to the public. This is the time for large meetings to take place in order to discuss temple problems or changes -- Buddhist temples are very democratic.

The five main Buddhist holidays are richly celebrated each year, according to the lunar calendar: the Buddha's Leaving Home (2nd month, 8th day), the Buddha's Death (2nd month, 15th day), the Buddha's Birthday, the main event of the year, (4th month, 8th day), "All Spirits' Day" (7th month, 15th day), and Enlightenment Day (12th month, 8th day). For the Buddha's Birthday, in particular, Koreans resort to a purely Korean phenomenon: the lotus lantern.