I wanted to
write more about my experiences in Korea. But now the semester at CNU is over
and I left the dormitory a few weeks ago. I don’t have time to write about the
missing things, but I think I covered most of the topics I wanted to write
about. So I will just leave some last photos here. The following posts will
cover my vacation in Korea and Japan, which I am experiencing right now.
All in all
I had a great time in Korea. I met a lot of new friends and experienced the Korean
culture, which I came to love – especially the food. Sitting together with
friends, barbecuing pork belly on the table and drinking alcohol is something
you definitely have to try in Korea! Surely, there were times when I didn’t
like being in Korea, e.g. while having the feeling to be constantly stared at,
or while I couldn’t communicate, because my Korean is bad and the Koreans’
English is even worse, but Korea is without doubt worth a visit!
I visited the 2013 Lotus Lantern Festival (연등회 연등축제) in Seoul in May. It is a festival to honor Buddha's birthday. The one in Seoul lasts one whole week.
According to Buddhist beliefs, lanterns symbolize wisdom in that they
bring light to the world. “Yeondeung,” which means lighting lantern, is
an important ritual in Buddhism gives respect to Buddha. Source: http://visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1002416
One of the festivals' goals is to bring Koreans and international visitors together. There are a lot of stalls, where foreigners can experience traditional Korean arts, eat Korean temple food, etc. I made two lotus flowers myself, learned how to make a Hanbok Origami (traditional Korean clothing) and ate temple noodles. I also got to drink Matcha at the Japanese Buddhism stall and talked to a nice lady from Nagoya. There was also a stage, where they did games with foreigners and locals. Buddhists from Thailand or India performed a play in colorful costumes. I also got to see a traditional Korean rope dance performance (줄타기, Jultagi).
I visited the lantern exhibitions at Bongeunsa Temple (봉은사) and Jogyesa Temple (조계사). It is astonishing to see all these colorful lanterns next to each other on the temple premises. People can write their wishes on papers that hang on the lanterns (but I don't know what happens with them afterwards).
In the evening I went to see the lantern parade. Hundreds of people carried or moved thousands of brightly lit lanterns in the shape of Hangul (Korean alphabet) letters, lotus flowers, elephants, dragons, Buddhas, etc. The people waiting near the road were cheering and singing. It was a great atmosphere and the lanterns were truly magnificent. Everybody put in a lot of effort into making them.
Afterwards, there was a post-parade celebration, called Hoehyang Hanmadang (회향한마당). Korean traditional singers performed for the crowed and all ended in a circle dance (강강술래, Ganggangsullae), were locals danced enthusiastically with all foreigners. During the dance small pieces of papers were blown into the air and it looked like a huge flower petal rain. It was so beautiful!
I uploaded some photos and videos for you. Please enjoy!
