Cutural
Festivals
Full Moon Wildfire Festival
 Jejudo
island is known for its vast grasslands and livestock as a mainstay
industry. In the winter, there is a tradition of setting fire to the
grasslands on the first full moon day of the year as a means to kill
harmful pest and set a rich fertile ground. Every village holds a memorial
service ritual and ancestral rites during this time to pray for their
community's well-being and a big harvest. Folk games and other traditional
activities take place. The Full Moon Wildfire Festival has since incorporated
modern elements to appeal to all people as a cultural attraction.
Bullfighting Festival in Cheongdo
 Cheongdo
Bullfighting has developed over the years from a dangerously amusing
and recreational event to an exciting competition. Today the event features
bulls pitted against other bulls in three weight divisions and awarded
prizes for their skills in overcoming the opponent. The Cheongdo region
is famous for this increasingly popular traditional event, now having
crossed international borders with the Korea-Japan Goodwill Bullfighting
Match and incorporated some elements of rodeo-style games for more international
appeal. Absent from Cheongdo Bullfighting is the graphic violence of
the sport depicted elsewhere, without compromising the realism or thrill
of watching the raging bulls. In this event, the animals are not killed
or seriously injured.
Korean Traditional Drink and
Cake Festival
 This
festival will feature two of Korea's main traditional food cultural
resources, alcoholic beverages and rice cakes. Taking place in Gyeongju,
the ancient city of the Shilla Kingdom, the event is filled with opportunities
to observe, make and taste special wines and rice cakes, which will
enhance people s understanding of the Korean culture and its regions.
Visitors will find culture, Korean experts and a comprehensive selection
of the entire country's traditional drinks and rice cakes exhibited
in one venue.
Many kinds of tools, materials and ingredients will be on display, proffering
tasting opportunities of snacks warm from the steamers of the rice cake
factory set up at the festival. Visitors are also invited to try their
hand at making rice cakes. This colorful festival when combined with
the wealth of cultural elements available in this historical city will
be an enriching and memorable experience.
Wang-in Culture Festival in
Yeong-am
Yeongam, surrounded by the beautiful Weolchulsan National Park has
a long history as the center of Korean, Japanese and Chinese commerce
and the birthplace of many remarkable heroes.
In particular, it is the home of Dr. Wang-in, the great scholar of the
Baekjae Kingdom. Before the 1600s, he carried the Thousand-Character
Classic, Analects of Confucius, casting technology, textile skills and
ceramic art to Japan at the invitation of the Shotoku Crown Prince of
Ancient Japan, which later bloomed into Japan's Asuka culture. Visitors
will see Dr. Wang-in's fascinating achievements and international diplomacy
that was before his time, against the backdrop of cherry blossoms in
full bloom in April, and Mt. Wolchulsan, boasting the most beautiful
scenery in Jeolla Province.
Yeongdeung Festival in Jindo
 In
Jindo island visitors can observe the waters dividing just like the
Red Sea in the biblical story of Moses. The waters ebb to reveal a seabed
way through which you can walk to the neighboring Modo Island.
You can collect seaweed, shells and various forms of sea life for a
truly unique experience. The legend of the dividing waters says the
island of Jindo was once populated with ferocious tigers, and people
fled to Modo Island. But an elderly woman was unable to flee, and so
she prayed to the sea god for a pathway that would allow her to walk
to the island, at which point the water divided.
Chunhyang Festival in Namwon
Chunhyang Festival is the oldest of all nation-wide cultural festivals,
honoring Chunhyang's filial piety and fidelity. Chunhyang, a woman of
beauty, is a fictional figure of the classical love story novel, "Story
of Chunhyang" set in Namwon during the Joseon Dynasty. To honor
Chunhyang's virtues, there will be various folk games, rituals and performing
arts shows. Chunhyang in the novel was born a daughter of low-class
who fell in love with Lee Mong-ryong, the son of the town magistrate.
While he was away in Seoul to take the civil service exam, a new magistrate
solicited Chunhyang for favors, which Chunhyang rejected out of love
for Lee.
The evil magistrate imprisoned Chunhyang for her defiance. But when
Lee became a court official, he returned to Namwon, punished the evil
magistrate and lived happily with Chunhyang.
Yangnyeongsi Festival in Daegu
The Daegu Herbal Medicine Market has been a supplier of herbal medicine
to China, Manchuria and Russia since the mid-Joseon period in the 16th
century.
This festival takes place in a district where 350 wholesalers and Oriental
medicine clinics are concentrated - Namseongro Street of Daegu Metropolitan
City.
Visitors can experience Korea's herbal medicine culture and enjoy high-quality
medicines at lower prices. Daegu is not only a center of textiles and
fashion hub, but it will also be the site of a World Cup game in June
2002.
International Mime Festival
in Chuncheon
Dubbed the city of the lakes, a 90-minute drive east from Seoul,
Chuncheon has opened this annual festival since 1989, laying the foundation
for the non-verbal performing arts genre in Korea.
Some of the performances have debuted in the Mimos Festival in France,
Hanover Expo Religious Play Festival in Germany and the Mongol International
Mime Festival, increasing its awareness as an international event.
Parties go on throughout
the night as the people of Chuncheon and visitors interact enthusiastically
all over the city.
Anchovy Festival
in Gijang
Pusan is known as the
"city of good mornings." Extending east is Gijang County,
home to 70 percent of Korea's entire stock of anchovies. The springtime
anchovies of Gijang harbor are famous for their plump, tender flesh.
The period from March until mid-May is particularly busy with fresh
anchovies being caught, salted and specially seasoned. Raw anchovies,
grilled anchovies, and anchovy stew are Gijang County's signature dishes.
The festival will feature a free tasting exhibition, demonstrations
on making anchovy mix and a variety of anchovy cuisine. In addition,
visitors will be able to see how anchovies are fished, netted and dried.
Mountain Dew
Tea Festival in Hadong
Hadong is regarded as
the birthplace of Korea's tea culture. According to a historical account,
during the Shilla Kingdom in 828 AD, an envoy to the Tang Dynasty in
China brought back tea seeds to plant.
Tea products native to Hadong undergo rigorous processing and handling
consisting of 9 stages, refining and drying, to produce the finest quality
tea. This festival takes place around Ssang-gyesa Temple, and visitors
can pick tea leaves and taste different kinds of tea for a full traditional
tea experience.
Hansan Ramie
Fabric Festival in Seocheon
As the representative
event of Chungnam Province, Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival highlights
the gem-like elegance of the natural fibers of ramie in its original
form. Light and delicate like a dragonfly's wings, ramie is the choice
material for summer.
Throughout Korea's royal history, it was the gift for kings. About 20,000
rolls are manufactured a year, sold and publicized through the Hansan
Ramie Festival. During the festival, visitors can see a Korean fashion
show of traditional attire, try their hand at weaving textile, enjoy
exhibitions of ramie cloth and traditional Korean attire, and purchase
ramie items at special prices. In addition to other diverse experiences,
visitors can enjoy the seafood of Seocheon, which borders the ocean.
This event also presents the perfect opportunity to visit the camelia
forest of Marang Hamlet with trees more than 500 years old, the famous
Dongbaek Pavilion and beautiful scenery and sunset of Bi-in Bay.
World Taekwondo Festival 2002
and 5th Korea Open
The World Taekwondo Festival 2002 will be open in the heart of Korea's
natural beauty, Cheongju, the center of Northern Chungcheong Province.
Taekwondo is not simply a competitive sport. It is a martial art of
skill combined with concentration and self-discipline. Since the International
Olympic Committee(IOC), recognizing the educational value and wealth
of tradition Taekwondo espouses, nominated the sport as an official
Olympic event, the popularity of Taekwondo has gone beyond its national
confines, attracting followers around the world. The World Taekwondo
Festival 2002 will convene enthusiasts from across the globe to the
native heartland of Taekwondo to further instill the basic philosophy
of the art. The festival will combine cultural tours with a variety
of programs for what will be a memorable experience for athletes, participants
and observers. |
