Happy Chuseok 2010!

Wishing all a Happy Chuseok!

To the halmeonis and halbeojis, may your children and grandchildren keep in touch not just for this annual celebration...

To the ajummas working hard in the kitchen, I hope the preparations for the family feasting won't be too stressful...

To the husbands of the ajummas - Please spare a thought or two for your wives, mothers and sisters...

To the children - may you find pleasure in the communal traditional games before they die out completely...

To the Koreans travelling abroad, have a great holiday spending your won overseas...

To those opting to take advatange of the long break  under the plastic surgeon's scalpel - a speedy recovery...

To those commuting from the city to the hometowns or villages - hope you won't get stuck in the traffic...

to  Koreans working and studying outside Korea - may the social media keep the family ties strong despite the physical distance....

to those in Seoul during the Chuseok period, enjoy the emptiness, quiet and uncrowded streets while you can!

Earlier postings on Chuseok, click below:

Chuseok - The Worst of Times
Chuseok - The Best of Times
What Really Goes On During Chuseok?
Songpyeon On My Pillow
A Korean Mother's Memory of Chuseok
Ganggangsullae- Not Simply Going Around In Circles


source:
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Ganggangsullae - Not Simply Going Around In Circles.

I thought that Ganggangsullae was just a dance in which girls held hands and went around in circles. After all, most pictures one googles up depict maidens in hanbok dancing in a round but after watching the video, I realise there's a lot more and I understand now why this folk dance has just recently been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

The only times I saw Korean dance was in the Chongdong Theatre ( more on that in future postings!) but I think I'd much prefer to see this one performed in a real village setting under a real full moon. Never mind if tradition is broken and the dancers are a mixed bunch of ajummas, halmeonis and even little boys instead of all pretty virgins as they're meant to be. Ganggangsullae is about the community and keeping in touch with one's agricultural roots and now it's on my wish list of things to see in Korea.

The video may take some time to upload but it's a great introduction to the dance.

Here's the official write-up by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea:

Ganggangsullae is a seasonal harvest and fertility ritual popular in the south-western part of the Republic of Korea, performed primarily on Koreas Thanksgiving in the eighth lunar month. Under a bright full moon, dozens of young, unmarried village women gather in a circle, join hands and sing and dance all night under the direction of a lead singer.

During interludes, the women playfully mime vignettes reflecting life in a farm or fishing village, including treading on roof tiles, unrolling a mat, catching a mouse or tying herrings. The dance takes its name from the refrain repeated after each verse, although the exact meaning of the word is unknown. Once a rare break from restrictive rules governing the behaviour of rural young women who were not allowed to sing aloud or go out at night, except during the ''Chuseok'' Thanksgiving celebration, the ritual is mostly preserved today by middle-aged women in cities and taught as part of the music curriculum of elementary schools.

Now practised as a performing art throughout Korea, it can be seen as a representative Korean folk art. It is an important hereditary custom drawn from the rice culture that pervaded daily life in the countryside. The easy tunes and movements can be learned quickly for this communal practice that contributes to harmony, equality and friendship among the women dancers.
source: http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Cu_detail.htm?No=67017&id=Cu