Jeongwol Daeboreum at the Bukchon Traditional Culture Center

Allies of Gye-dong

Saturday brought us to this lovely festival offered by the Seoul government. I didn't see much advertisement for it on any major websites, but saw a snippet of information on the Josun Ilbo. A couple of us decided to head over to the festival to see what it was all about. Well worth the trip.
Jeongwol Daeboreum is the festival for the first full moon of the New Year. There are a lot of traditions and festivities aligned with this holiday and we got to engage and actively participate in them. According to the Chosun Ilbo, over a quarter of Korea's 192 seasonal festivals are celebrated during Daeboreum, including "ganggangsullae, a circle dance symbolizing unity and cooperation between people; jwibul-nori, a traditional game that involves spinning a tin with fire inside to wish for a good harvest; bridge-crossing, a rite where people cross a bridge once for every year of their lives to guard against afflictions of the legs; and the burning of small effigies called Daljib, or "Moon Houses," made of wooden twigs wrapped with handwritten wishes calling for good luck and good health."
Another peculiar custom is the drinking of cold alcohol for ear health and hearing good news throughout the year. As a news reporter enjoyed capturing footage of us foreigners enjoying Korean culture, we drank a delicious aperitif and now hope that this year brings us good news. The Bukchon Traditional Culture Center also presented us with a feast of traditional foods served during Daeboreum, all of which had cultural significance which I have since forgotten.

Interestingly, dogs were not fed traditionally on Daeboregum because it was believed that if they ate on this day they could contract gadflies and get sick during the summer. ㅜ ㅜ
The location itself was superb. Bukchon Traditional Culture Center is located in Gye-dong, which is an area full of traditional hanok-style housing. Wandering around the alleys at sunset was beautiful, and would have been a great time to take pictures if my hands weren't so cold. Although I am more of a busy city type of person, Gye-dong's quietude was appealing as well as its numerous cafes and Italian restaurants. Like its neighbor, Samcheon-dong, I'm sure Gye-dong housing is ridiculously pricey. A boy can dream.

Pretty great gutter

Gangwon Do~ Gangreung 강릉

Pumpkin Duck: Amazing

One of the other Lindstromites in Korea, Ashley, has invited me to her city in western Korea plenty of times but I never made it. The other day she mentioned duck cooked in pumpkin, so of course I needed to come! Her place was out in Gangwon Do in the city of Gangleung- about three hours by bus. Small by Korean standards ㅡ 150,000 ㅡ the downtown area itself was nothing to write home about. The duck we had for dinner, on the other hand, was phenomenal. My gourmand friend, Catie, said it was the best duck she ever had and I agree that the two flavors blend perfectly. Of course the group needed some alcohol to go with the meal, so we ordered corn-based dongjuju which was served in a large bowl with a gourd-shaped spoon.
Dinner was followed by a walk along the East Sea. Although the weather in Gangwon Do is far from pleasant at this time of year, the fresh air and sound of the waves breaking on the shore made for a refreshing break from chaotic Seoul. We finished our walk with a coffee at one of the ubiquitous cafes along NamHangJin Beach. Taxis, though hard to find, are quite cheap in Gangneung so we traveled to our lodging, kindly arranged by Ashley, and were shocked to see the beauty of the accomodations that we were only paying some ten dollars for. I have visited Korean traditional villages but never slept in a traditional house, or hanok, during my year and a half in Korea. With sliding paper doors and beautiful inkbrush designs, the hanok would satisfy anyone`s love of the orient. The sleeping pads were just as comfortable as a bed and my only complaint is the distance to the bathrooms. Definitely a place to take your family.

Seollal

Spinning a top

Catie and I went to a festival today for Chinese New Year at the Namsangol Hanok Village near Chungmuro station. We arrived a little late ㅡtypicalㅡand saw the end of a Korean drum performance and a bit of breakdancing. I have been to the Hanok Village before, but it was fun to see all the festivities for Seollal. There were traditional games like spinning tops and throwing arrows in containers as well as craft stations to make kites and flutes. I also got a stamp on a piece of paper which will hopefully give me good luck throughout the year. Welcome Year of the Black Dragon!

Our wishes are listed here

Welcome black dragon!

Kimchi jars?

I love this thing!