Daeboruem's Fire And Moon Viewing Rituals - Ajumma's Itinerary For Night Owls - Part 1

I'm no night owl but I thought it would be fun to see if I could come up with a bucket list of places to visit  in Korea  specially for night owls. While the country is known as Land of the Morning Calm, it's also, I like to believe, a beautiful place at night. So this first posting in a series which I'm calling "Ajumma's Itinerary For Night Owls"  is dedicated to the Daeboreum Festival (Great Full Moon Day to welcome the first full moon of the lunar year).

I know this is somewhat belated as the Daeboreum festival was celebrated in different parts of the country such as in Jeju and Samcheok in Gangwon-do  just a few weeks ago ( at the end of the Spring Festival for the Chinese) but those interested enough can start planning for 2013. You may also want to check out postings on this subject by two bloggers, Sherwin Jones and the author of tigersandmagpies. They have interesting accounts of their first-hand experiences of this festival which originated from China but also developed its own local character and mythology when it spread to the Korean peninsular.

Imagine a

Here's a checklist of what I would do to participate a little more fully in the festival:

• The night before Daeboreum, I'd take part in  gwibulnori (쥐불놀이). This game started off as an agrarian practice when cow herders "burned the dry grass on ridges between rice fields while children whirled around cans full of holes, through which charcoal fire blazed." The latter was supposed to rid the fields of undesirable insects or worms and the burning of the grass was believed to promote the growth of healthier grass fodder for the cattle. Must make the effort to get the traditional crude can instead of a battery-powered device for the full romantic effect. Click here to see what I mean.

• Burn daljip (a tradition of burning a bundle of twigs to bring good luck). Note to self- Remember to get gloves!

• Practise dalmaji i.e. find a novice-friendly mountain to climb with friends and family to catch the first glimpse of the full moon. The idea is the first person to see the moon rise will have good luck all year or a wish will be granted but hey, I'm not planning to race to the top. If the moon will oblige by turning up and not tease me by hiding behind any cloud, I'll count myself lucky.

Aside from these fire and moon-viewing rituals, you may want to look for these festive goodies to savour:

• I'll get the oligatory chestnuts, walnuts etc but I'll draw the line at trying to crack them with my own teeth. The old wives' tale is that by doing this , you won't need dental services for the rest of the year but I have my doubts. Mental note no 2 to self: Carry a nutcracker.

• Eat  Ogokbap (오곡밥 / 五穀밥) for breakfast on Daeboreum. This is a five-"grain" rice consisting of rice, millet, Indian millet, beans, and red beans. No problem - question is: Can I have it with my kimchi tchigae?   Two other dishes which are on the eat-list would be namul and  Yaksik (약식 / 藥食), which is made of glutinous rice, chestnuts, pinenuts, honey, sauce, and sesame oil.

• Drink cheongju , a clear rice wine which is supposed to clear the ears to hear good news for the rest of the year. Hmmm....if it's anything like soju, I'll pass. I'd rather drink a toast to the moon with bokbunja.
  
  If jostling with the crowds in open fields and risking getting too close to burning embers doesn't appeal to you, there's another way one can observe Daeboreum in a more sedate manner.

Woljeongsa Temple had a 2 day, 1 night templestay program specially designed for the occasion ( 17 and 18 February). It included :

•  meditation in the moonlight - that almost sounds romantic.
• making a wish list and circling a pagoda in the hope that your wish will be fulfilled, and
• Dari Bapggi (Treading the Bridge ritual to stave off bad luck for the year)

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=697232
http://buriburi.go.kr/foreign/eng/htmls/main.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daeboreum
http://www.sherwinvjones.com/gyeongjublog/2012/02/photos-dangsan-tree-on-daeboreum/
http://eng.templestay.com/board/board.asp?bt=2&idx=132&cid=13
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1249628
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=255585
http://tigersandmagpies.com/2012/02/jeju-jeongwol-daeboreum-fire-festival-2012/
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/LanternFestival.htm
http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/694421/Lantern-Festival-2012-in-China.aspx
http://books.google.com.my/books?id=VSIsb4qmoQcC&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=origins+of+daeboreum&source=bl&ots=Ra43itWI7O&sig=gJLWJESBKIFCjekoJT-vZl0JauM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4PBNT-7aEcLRrQeV7uyKDw&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=origins%20of%20daeboreum&f=false
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_owl_(person)
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2011/03/203_39010.html

Remembering Hwaeomsa With Leftover Regrets

Reading an article by Roger Dix on his recent visit to Hwaeomsa put me into a "wish-I-was-there-again" mood. This temple located on the foothills of Jirisan is worth a visit and I'm still sorry I didn't check out if there was a templestay there.

I'm also still sorry I was in a won-pinching frame of mind when I decided against buying souvenir reproductions of the famous stone lantern.

I'm sorry I didn't stay long enough in the place to do some exploring of the trails behind the temple.

Related postings:

What I Wish I Knew About Hwaeomsa
Great Stone Lantern of Hwaeomsa
Grand Ole Halbeoji of A Tree in Hwaeomsa
Gamsa-Hamnida To Three Gentlemen of Gurye


sources:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/12/144_78179.html

Lotus Roots, Lotus Leaves

Long before Tupperware or cardboard boxes for take-away lunches, Koreans carried their home-cooked meals in lotus leaves when they had to go on the road. Yeonipbap or yeunipbap ( 연잎밥) was made from wrapping a mixture of glutinous rice, sorghum, millet, ginkgo nuts, jujubes, chestnuts and even diced lotus rhizomes in layers of lotus leaves and then steaming the securely-tied bundle.

Pumpkin slice as garnishing to lotus leaf rice

This nutritious and substantial meal preserved well by the lotus leaves, is still common in Korea, China, Vietnam and Chinese communities elsewhere. It probably comes closest to Middle Earth’s “lembas” which fortified those in the Fellowship of the Ring on their long journey. Just as the elvish bread had its own virtues, steamed rice in lotus leaves has long been regarded as a wholesome dish with some medicinal properties.

Pretty in pink - Sliced and pan-fried lotus root or rhizomes

The 16th - century Chinese Compendium of Materia Medica identified different parts of the lotus plant ( Nelumbo nucifera ) which were believed to address different ailments. For instance, lotus leaves and stems were used to treat people suffering from heat stroke in summer. Today, there are various kinds of on-going research to study the anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, etc. properties of the lotus –from the seeds, leaves, rhizomes and even stems.

Grilled lotus roots or rhizomes with mushrooms on a bed of pine leaves

The lotus leaf alone can appear in other forms, aside from functioning as a food wrapper. You can drink it as herbal tea. Lotus leaf wine is served to one’s ancestors during family rituals by members of the Yean Yi clan of Oeam Village, Asan, Chungcheong-nam-do. Lotus leaves are even crushed into powder before sprinkled onto rice served with vegetarian meals in temples as Buddhists regard the lotus not merely as a symbol of enlightenment, but also as nature’s medicine to purify the body.

The Koreans have produced lotus leaf tea; question is - How can they market it?

So if you’re looking for some virtuous cuisine in Korea, you might want to check out the following places. One blogger recommends Mulmaegol (713-5486, 019-696-5486), in Jeju which offers yeonipbap. The restaurant serves the dish with various banchan ( side dishes) “including tofu sprinkled with cilantro, mushrooms, and fermented radish leaves. Gamrodang is another restaurant which offers vegetarian dishes in Seoul ( Jongno-gu Hwa-dong 87-1). Or if you fancy going the distance, join the templestay program in Daewonsa in Boseong, Jeollanamdo which offers cooking lessons for lotus leaf rice.

 Not temple cuisine but the lotus leaf rice is on the left

sources:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=45,9314,0,0,1,0

http://eng.gg.go.kr/entry/Gungwon-Hanjeongsik-Gunpo-si-Gyeonggi-do-korea
http://www.cj100.net/english/sub06/?menucode=06_05
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2914067
http://www.koreana.or.kr/months/news_view.asp?b_idx=558&lang=en&page_type=list
http://img.kisti.re.kr/originalView/originalView.jsp?url=/soc_img/society//ksabc/OOSMBK/2006/v49n2/OOSMBK_2006_v49n2_163.pdf
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=349112
http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/journal/3-4/daike/uses_page1.html
http://jejulife.net/2008/10/19/vegetarian-restaurants-by-jenie-hahn-jeju-south-korea/
http://www.whitelotusaromatics.com/newsletters/lotus2.html
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2923841