Korean Adventure (March 7, 2003 Chautauqua)
Since I have been living and working in Korea, I have been able to celebrate the new year twice. On January 1st, I welcomed 2003, and on February 1st, I welcomed the year of the goat.
There are twelve different animals assigned to various years, including the rat, the dragon, and the cow. I was born in 1959, the year of the pig. According to my horoscope, I will be more of a homebody this year. So, no change.
Our calendar, the Gregorian, is used throughout Asia, but there are still those who rely on a lunar calendar to calculate the best time to celebrate ancient rites, such as the lunar new year.
The Gregorian calendar ignores the moon and adds leap days to recalculate the solar year. The lunar calendar, like the Islamic calendar, ignores the sun. The lunisolar calendar, exemplified by Chinese and Jewish calendars, adds leap months every three years. It can make you dizzy trying to keep them straight.
One of the main parts of the Korean tradition is something they call "jesa," which is a ritual performed in homes asking the residing spirit for blessings.
An altar table is set, and then the head of the household lights incense, pours liquor into a glass, and then into a bowl. He then bows twice to the ancestral spirit. His family follows suit, and the head reads the "chuk mun," or ritual address.
This is done three times, and a small amount of food is eaten to signify acceptance of the ancestors' symbolic blessing.
Some Christians have denounced it as a form of worship that they cannot condone. They also object to the drinking of liquor, as well as the increasingly popular tradition of visiting a fortune teller.
Such talk would have certainly brought down severe punishment in the 19th century, when over 300 believers lost their lives. Christianity has become close to a religious majority nowadays, and churches can be found on every street corner.
The struggle between the old (Confucianism) and the new (Christianity) can be very divisive of families, and compromises are having to be made. Many people are trying to find their own way of celebrating that will include everyone.
Some people simply say they are honoring their ancestors, and New Years Day is the appropriate occasion. It is part of a break from any orthodox religion and an effort to tailor their own beliefs and practices as they see fit.
Mainly, it seems to me, it is about family. Many Koreans have no religion at all, and don't perform the ceremony, but they do take the time to visit their home towns and pay their respects.
As the country changes and modernizes, some things will no doubt be lost. Maintaining something that is their own, may help a lot of Koreans retain a sense of national identity, and pave the way for better understanding and (one hopes) peace.
I got a lot of the information for this article from the Korea Herald, and a story by staff reporter Andrew Petty.
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Hello, Sailor!
One of the great things about teaching overseas is the chance to travel. I am a historian, and it was great to go and see things and places that I had read about and studied. Since Korea is bounded on three sides by water, there are many opportunities to travel by boat.
There are a lot of choices if you want to go to Japan. One of these is a hydrofoil that makes the trip from Busan to Fukuoka in a couple of hours. I preferred to take my time (and the hydrofoil was sold out), so I opted for the overnight ferry, the Camellia.
Busan Harbour
It was Chusok, and I had about a week off, so I was going to see Hiroshima. Travelling there would occupy two days. I would have three days to explore the city, and then a couple more to get back.
The ferry dock. The Camellia is the one in the middle, on the right.
The ship sails about six in the evening. The crossing takes about six or seven hours, and the ferry lies in the harbour at Fukuoka until the next morning, when it docks.
The ferry terminal in Fukuoka, from the deck of the Camellia.
Japanese Coast Guard vessel.
I had a basic ticket, which meant that I would sleep in an open area with most of the other people on board. The price of a cabin was prohibitive for such a short trip. You get a mat to lie on, a blanket, and a leather-covered block that's supposed to be a pillow.
There were a few other foreigners about, and I fell in with another guy making his visa run. Lucky to make the trip at Chusok, and on the ferry. I think he spent the balance of his time in Fukuoka while I was in Hiroshima, and I met him again on the return trip.
I don't remember a cafeteria as such. I think there was just a counter, where you could buy cup ramen or dried squid and kimchi. We drank a lot of beer from the vending machines. As we were headed to Japan we stuck to brands like Asahi and Kirin. Even though it was October, the weather was mild, so we spent most of our time up on the top deck, watching the moon set, and the lights of various fishing fleets that we passed through.
It was an amazing feeling to reflect that I was actually sailing across the Sea of Japan. (Even though I'd been in Korea for almost a year, I hadn't yet run across the term, "The East Sea.")
The Koreans occupied themselves with things drinking, talking, and playing games. One of the games they played was "Hwa-To," or Go-Stop, a card game that I very nearly learned how to play. I thought it might have been a way to bridge the gap between myself and my students, and I caused quite a stir when I tried to start a game in class one day. Apparently, go-stop is a betting game, and I was told parents would not be pleased to find out I was teaching their kids to gamble!
Anyway, it was fun to watch the Korean men playing the game. They really get into it. At one point, one of the ship's crew passed by, gave them the fish eye, and asked a question. It must have been about the gambling, because the players started to put the money away, all the while looking like little boys caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
I took this ferry on two different trips. The second time the weather was a little rougher, and you could feel the slow roll of the ship as it went through the swell. On one side of the ship, you were sheltered from the spray, but if you went to the other side, you were absolutely drenched. It's a good thing I had a change of clothes.
I didn't get seasick, but I could see some of the Koreans were green around the gills. There's a kind of patch they wear behind the ear that releases anti-seasickness medicine into the bloodstream.
I was on my way through Japan to Vladivostok in Russia. My thought was that I had come halfway around the world to Korea, so why not continue on in the same direction and so circumnavigate the globe?
And rather than just fly (like some mook), why not travel on the surface? Why not take the time to enjoy it? So I took the ferry to Japan, another ferry to Russia, and the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow.
The ferry that I took was called the "M. Shokolov," and it traveled from the north coast of Japan, near the small port of Takaoka. It didn't sail until two or three days after I boarded, but I didn't care. I had finished my contract in Korea, and was kind of taking my time about getting home.
The crew loaded the ship with as many cars as it could possibly carry, even taking up all the available deck space.
Japanese don't drive on the right side of the road, so these cars had steering wheels on the opposite side I was used to. Russians do drive on the right side of the road, and it was interesting to see these were the majority of vehicles in Vladivostok.
I was travelling alone, so I did have some language barriers to cross. But the crew were helpful and courteous. The food in the restaurant was good. A lot of typical Russian dishes like borscht, served by the tallest, most beautiful blonde waitresses I have ever seen.
That trip took about three days. There was nothing but the ship, the sea, and the sky. My cabin was right on the waterline, which gave me quite the view.
Another ferry from Korea departs from Pohang to the island of Ulleongdo, which is just a hop and a skip from the Dokdo, where Koreans long to see the holy sites and meet the seagulls.
The Ulleongdo ferry docked after the trip.
This ferry is a kind of hydrofoil. The trip takes about three hours, and you're stuck inside for the trip. There's not a lot of open deck space. The seating is theatre-style, but my friends and I fell in with some English-speaking Koreans who helped us pass the time.
There are a lot of islands around Korea, besides Ulleongdo and Dokdo. There's also Jeju-do, which I visited with Flint. It was a good trip, but we didn't take the ferry there. We did, however, take a day trip around and about the southern coast.
If you go to the southern port of Tongyeong, you can get on a boat for a day trip to some of the islands in the area, one of which was the headquarters of Admiral Yi Sun-shin during the time he fought back the Japanese invasion of 1595. There's a re-creation of the place that he lived, and a channel marker in the shape of his famous "turtle boat."
One of the last trips I took in Korea was to the south-western island of Hongdo, Perhaps the last landfall before you reach China.
The ferry was another fast hydrofoil, with no opportunity to go out on deck. The island is so small that four-wheeled traffic is banned, and the islanders get around on motorcycles.
You're basically stuck with the main town, which occupies a neck of land in the centre of the island. The northern and southern areas are protected nature preserves.
There is a day trip around the island offered. It was interesting to see the protected area up close, as the captain took his ship as close to the island as possible at various points.
That day was very sunny on one side of the island, while the other was wrapped in cloud.
I neglected to wear sunblock, and got very burned. The trip ends with various fishing boats gathering around with fresh fish for sale. A lot of the Koreans took great styrofoam boxes home, packed with fish on ice.
But I think if you asked Flint or what our favourite boat was, I think we'd both agree on the "Casa Bianca," which is moored in Cheongju. The main floor houses one of the best rib joints we've ever tasted. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
There are a lot of choices if you want to go to Japan. One of these is a hydrofoil that makes the trip from Busan to Fukuoka in a couple of hours. I preferred to take my time (and the hydrofoil was sold out), so I opted for the overnight ferry, the Camellia.
Busan Harbour
It was Chusok, and I had about a week off, so I was going to see Hiroshima. Travelling there would occupy two days. I would have three days to explore the city, and then a couple more to get back.
The ferry dock. The Camellia is the one in the middle, on the right.
The ship sails about six in the evening. The crossing takes about six or seven hours, and the ferry lies in the harbour at Fukuoka until the next morning, when it docks.
The ferry terminal in Fukuoka, from the deck of the Camellia.
Japanese Coast Guard vessel.
I had a basic ticket, which meant that I would sleep in an open area with most of the other people on board. The price of a cabin was prohibitive for such a short trip. You get a mat to lie on, a blanket, and a leather-covered block that's supposed to be a pillow.
There were a few other foreigners about, and I fell in with another guy making his visa run. Lucky to make the trip at Chusok, and on the ferry. I think he spent the balance of his time in Fukuoka while I was in Hiroshima, and I met him again on the return trip.
I don't remember a cafeteria as such. I think there was just a counter, where you could buy cup ramen or dried squid and kimchi. We drank a lot of beer from the vending machines. As we were headed to Japan we stuck to brands like Asahi and Kirin. Even though it was October, the weather was mild, so we spent most of our time up on the top deck, watching the moon set, and the lights of various fishing fleets that we passed through.
It was an amazing feeling to reflect that I was actually sailing across the Sea of Japan. (Even though I'd been in Korea for almost a year, I hadn't yet run across the term, "The East Sea.")
The Koreans occupied themselves with things drinking, talking, and playing games. One of the games they played was "Hwa-To," or Go-Stop, a card game that I very nearly learned how to play. I thought it might have been a way to bridge the gap between myself and my students, and I caused quite a stir when I tried to start a game in class one day. Apparently, go-stop is a betting game, and I was told parents would not be pleased to find out I was teaching their kids to gamble!
Anyway, it was fun to watch the Korean men playing the game. They really get into it. At one point, one of the ship's crew passed by, gave them the fish eye, and asked a question. It must have been about the gambling, because the players started to put the money away, all the while looking like little boys caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
I took this ferry on two different trips. The second time the weather was a little rougher, and you could feel the slow roll of the ship as it went through the swell. On one side of the ship, you were sheltered from the spray, but if you went to the other side, you were absolutely drenched. It's a good thing I had a change of clothes.
I didn't get seasick, but I could see some of the Koreans were green around the gills. There's a kind of patch they wear behind the ear that releases anti-seasickness medicine into the bloodstream.
I was on my way through Japan to Vladivostok in Russia. My thought was that I had come halfway around the world to Korea, so why not continue on in the same direction and so circumnavigate the globe?
And rather than just fly (like some mook), why not travel on the surface? Why not take the time to enjoy it? So I took the ferry to Japan, another ferry to Russia, and the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow.
The ferry that I took was called the "M. Shokolov," and it traveled from the north coast of Japan, near the small port of Takaoka. It didn't sail until two or three days after I boarded, but I didn't care. I had finished my contract in Korea, and was kind of taking my time about getting home.
The crew loaded the ship with as many cars as it could possibly carry, even taking up all the available deck space.
Japanese don't drive on the right side of the road, so these cars had steering wheels on the opposite side I was used to. Russians do drive on the right side of the road, and it was interesting to see these were the majority of vehicles in Vladivostok.
I was travelling alone, so I did have some language barriers to cross. But the crew were helpful and courteous. The food in the restaurant was good. A lot of typical Russian dishes like borscht, served by the tallest, most beautiful blonde waitresses I have ever seen.
That trip took about three days. There was nothing but the ship, the sea, and the sky. My cabin was right on the waterline, which gave me quite the view.
Another ferry from Korea departs from Pohang to the island of Ulleongdo, which is just a hop and a skip from the Dokdo, where Koreans long to see the holy sites and meet the seagulls.
The Ulleongdo ferry docked after the trip.
This ferry is a kind of hydrofoil. The trip takes about three hours, and you're stuck inside for the trip. There's not a lot of open deck space. The seating is theatre-style, but my friends and I fell in with some English-speaking Koreans who helped us pass the time.
There are a lot of islands around Korea, besides Ulleongdo and Dokdo. There's also Jeju-do, which I visited with Flint. It was a good trip, but we didn't take the ferry there. We did, however, take a day trip around and about the southern coast.
If you go to the southern port of Tongyeong, you can get on a boat for a day trip to some of the islands in the area, one of which was the headquarters of Admiral Yi Sun-shin during the time he fought back the Japanese invasion of 1595. There's a re-creation of the place that he lived, and a channel marker in the shape of his famous "turtle boat."
One of the last trips I took in Korea was to the south-western island of Hongdo, Perhaps the last landfall before you reach China.
The ferry was another fast hydrofoil, with no opportunity to go out on deck. The island is so small that four-wheeled traffic is banned, and the islanders get around on motorcycles.
You're basically stuck with the main town, which occupies a neck of land in the centre of the island. The northern and southern areas are protected nature preserves.
There is a day trip around the island offered. It was interesting to see the protected area up close, as the captain took his ship as close to the island as possible at various points.
That day was very sunny on one side of the island, while the other was wrapped in cloud.
I neglected to wear sunblock, and got very burned. The trip ends with various fishing boats gathering around with fresh fish for sale. A lot of the Koreans took great styrofoam boxes home, packed with fish on ice.
But I think if you asked Flint or what our favourite boat was, I think we'd both agree on the "Casa Bianca," which is moored in Cheongju. The main floor houses one of the best rib joints we've ever tasted. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Year 1 - Happy Easter 2002
It is Easter Sunday here now.
It has been a while hasn't it? A lot has been going on lately.
On top of the usual hectic pace of teaching I have had my dentist visits. Monday will be my last visit for this tooth. The dentist and I have had many talks, he is a nice guy, and a good dentist. His staff is nice too, but they don't speak a lick of English. He likes to improve his English, and we ended up having a discussion on semantics.
He said that dental work in Korea is cheap. I replied that some of it may be cheap, but I prefer to say affordable. Cheap has a double mean. It costs less, and the quality is less. He does good work, not shoddy work. So I would say he is affordable, not cheap. We had a chuckle over that. :) Many things in Korea are affordable without being cheap.
Thursday I went out of town with some students. We went to a place called Munue (pronounced Moonie). First we went to a spot overlooking the valley. There is a cave there that legend has was the home of a dragon. So, we stopped, went into the cave, and looked around. I didn't see any dragons. There was also a cairn there where you can place rocks and make a wish. One of my students and her husband want another child, so she wished for a boy. I put a rock on it and made a wish for my mom's health. We had a nice walk around the area. Then we went into Munue for lunch. We had Ori Tang, duck soup. It was very good. Not gamey at all. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Dating in Korea is interesting. Some of the means are similar to North America. Meet someone, ask them out. Even where you meet people can be similar, work, church, bars. THere are a few other ways that are fairly common here which aren't as common in Canada or the US. Blind dating is VERY common here. Sometimes it is group blind dates, sometimes single. using the internet for dating is very common too. They meet in chat rooms, or through services, set up an "appointment" and see how it goes from there.
I mentioned in at least one previous letter about how same gender relations are here. It is common to see girls, women, walking down the street hand in hand, arm in arm. When out at a bar, restaurant, or other places it is not unusual for them to be clingy with each other, playing with hair, holding onto each other. Although that mainly happens at bars. Men also exhibit this behaviour, but not as often as women. (Mind you according to Koreans there is NO homo-sexuality in Korea, it is a Western problem only. But that is another kettle of fish.) This is something that most Westerners never get used to, I still haven't.
Last night I went out to dinner. After dinner we went to a nurae bang (karaoke room) and spent several hours. It was a good time. Karaoke rooms are very popular in Korea. Their selection of music is actually pretty good. There is a wide selection of Korean and English songs. There is even the odd Japanese song thrown in. One of the girls last night was a really good singer. Karaoke is something I would never have done in Canada unless very drunk. Even then it is debatable. ;)
Take care,
Flint
*****
And my singing is still horrible. :)
One thing that still strikes me as strange is that for all the Christians in Korea Easter isn't that important a holiday.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Year 1 - Daeborum
Howdy
Here is a little tidbit of information I thought I would share with you.
Tomorrow will be the first full moon of theNew Year, Korean-Chinese New Year, and there is a tradition around it called Daeborum. (Or as some Westerner's refer to it "Crunchy Day".) Basically, as soon as you wake up, you eat as many nuts, different ones too, as you have years. If possible, you open them with your teeth. You wish for good health while eating them. Then you are supposed to drink a shot of alcohol and wish to hear good news throughout the year. That night you watch the full moon, and pray for your wishes to come true. That is the tradition as related by one of my students. For more on it check out the website below.
http://www.clickasia.co.kr/about/h0115.htm
*****
This was from Feb 2002.
Take Care
Flint
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Happy Lunar New Year
Happy Solnal!
In Korea Lunar New Year, or Solnal, is a 3 day holiday. BUT since it is based on the lunar calendar the actual days fluctuate on the solar calendar. This year we get screwed out of 2 vacation days because of that. Solnal day is today, Sunday, so we only get Monday off work. (Unless you happen to work Saturdays.) Next year it is going to be strange. It will be a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The best times are when it is Wednesday to Friday or Monday to Wednesday. Then you get a 5 day weekend. :)
In China it is a week long celebration. Most places are closed for all or a good part of it. There are fire works all day and night. It is easy to buy some and set them off. If there had been more holiday time this year I would have went back to Qingdao.
The only problem with Lunar New Year in Asia is that a lot of places close. We wanted the rib place for dinner last night but it was closed. Settled for decent fish and chips and rum before going to meet friends. We are going to try and find sushi or sashimi today but it is hard to say if a shop will be open.
An old friend is in town with his family for the holidays. Last night he was out and about, so Stig and I hooked up with him and another friend. It was a great time. One of the best I have had at Road King in well over a year. If only they would get a rum that doesn't make me want to vomit I might go there more often.
We were drinking Jack Daniels and cokes plus some scotch when it came time for the cigars. I had a fantastic Monte Cristo torpedo. Stig had a Partegas.
All in all a great Lunar New Year Eve.
No idea why I woke up at 8 but it is feeling like time to go back to bed. Why go back to bed? Because I can. :)
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