With the long Chuseok holiday, many flooded outside the country today.
But for those of you planning to spend your holiday in the country, there's plenty of
festivals and events to go to.
Our Lee Ji-won gives us a brief introduction to some of them.
With the long 10-day Chuseok holiday finally here,... cities and organizations across the
country have prepared a variety of cultural festivals for people to enjoy.
One of them is the Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi Festival, in the city of Anseong, about an
hour south of Seoul.
(stndup) "As one of the region’s major festivals,
the event gives visitors the chance to experience the traveling entertainment troupes of the
Joseon Dynasty, with over 50 cultural performances and activities."
Anseong is the birthplace of Namsadang, which consists of six performances,... including
a comical masked dance and the pungmulnori, a percussion quartet.
Through these traditional activities and performances, the annual event aims to sustain the region's
cultural legacy.
(stndup) "One of the activities at the Namsadang performance
is jultagi, or traditional tightrope dancing.
It requires good balance and lots of courage."
Easily walking back and forth, sitting and jumping on the rope, the performer grabs the
crowd's attention and keeps them in suspense.
(English) "It was very interesting.
He must very professional at this, because it seemed very hard and I don't think I can
do that."
(Korean) "We've been coming to this festival for the
past three years because we are mesmerized by the eye-catching shows."
With a variety of performances, including dance teams from the Philippines and Peru,
the festival will run through October 2nd.
Down in the southeast of the country, visitors can enjoy Gyeongju's moonlight tour.
The city in Gyeongsangbuk-do province was once the capital of Korea's ancient kingdom
of Silla,... and visitors can tour the houses and graves of Korea's ancient kings and queens.
(Korean) "I've been to Gyeongju quite often, but I
didn't know much about its cultural heritage.
Having a proper tour of the place gave me greater insight into these places, and I think
it's very educational for my children too."
There are also hands-on activities,... from pouring and drinking tea, to archery,... which
were essential traits needed to become one of Silla's symbolic young warriors, the hwarang,
or flowering knights.
And at night, a fusion gugak concert entices the ears and eyes of the audience with magic
shows and traditional music.
(Korean) "Unlike most concert halls, it's so nice to
be able to enjoy the night sky while listening to music.
It's a great opportunity to help me truly sink into gugak."
(Korean) "With the Chuseok holiday coming,... the night
concert and tour around this place is a nice opportunity to enjoy Korea's traditional beauty,
together with the autumn breeze.
The program will be held again on October 7th."
For those who want to spend the long break in Seoul, there are a number of events being
held in the capital too,... including the 2017 World Hansik Festival.
Aiming to help spread hansik, or Korean cuisine, to the rest of the world,.. the event exhibits
some of the country's popular menus, as well as a corner for visitors to try out their
own traditional wedding ritual, complete with traditional food.
(Korean) "Taking photos all dressed up like this with
a wedding ritual makes me feel that I can better understand the ancient culture.
It was also cool to see traditional foods that we don't get to see often, making me
proud of our cuisine."
While the festival runs until the 15th of October, more events are lined up in Seoul
throughout the holiday, including the Hanwha Seoul International Fireworks Festival 2017
and the 17th Seoul Performing Arts Festival.
Thanks to an unprecedented 10-day holiday, residents and visitors alike will have a wide
array of events and activities held nationwide to learn, experience, taste and enjoy all
that Korea has to offer.
For those interested in knowing more, check the culture ministry's website.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.