Archive for 'Culture'
Korean Tea Ceremony Posted by Ginny on Mar 31, 2010
The Korean tea ceremony is called 다례. The purpose of the ceremony is to create a relaxing atmosphere for conversing and enjoying tea. A normal tea ceremony includes a host and guests. The host heats the tea, and while the tea is heating, small talk is made. The Korean tea ceremony has been greatly influenced…
Korean Paintings Posted by Ginny on Feb 25, 2010
The 조선 era (1392-1910) produced Korea’s finest painters. Let’s take a look at some of the most famous traditional Korean paintings and painters. This painting is called 인왕제색도 (仁王霽色圖) or “After the rain at Mt. Inwang”. The painter’s name is 정선. His paintings focus on capturing the majesty of the natural landscape, and are characterized by…
Traditional Korean Dances Posted by Ginny on Feb 19, 2010
The 검무 is a famous, traditional Korean sword dance. The dance involves a prototype of a small sword with rings attached to the sword. When the sword moves about, the rings make a sound in conjunction with the rhythm of the dance. The 검무 gets its name from a boy named 검무 who lived in…
The Year of the Tiger Posted by Ginny on Feb 13, 2010
This February 14th will be the start of the New Year according to the lunar calendar. Every year a different animal is assigned to the new year. This year it will be the year of the tiger, but more specifically the 백호 호랑이. The 백호 호랑이 is a white colored tiger, and currently extinct in…
Modern Korean Weddings Posted by Ginny on Jan 7, 2010
Modern Korean weddings are much like Western weddings, in that the bride wears a fancy white dress, and the groom wears a black suit. However, modern Korean weddings are traditional in the sense that the close relatives of the bride and goom who are female, wear a 한복. The mother of the groom wears a…
Korean Mythology Posted by Ginny on Dec 31, 2009
Today we’ll look at some Korean mythology. The first story has to do with the beginnings of mankind. A long time ago, a man named 지수 was starving from a famine that raged the entire countryside. To relieve his hunger, 지수 decided to climb a tall cliff to jump off of it and die. Before he was about to jump off, he…
Korean Funerals Posted by Ginny on Dec 16, 2009
One of the most unique aspects of a culture is the way that culture mourns for its dead. Today is the day we’ll learn about Korean funerals and the way Koreans mourn for the dead. First let’s learn the word for “funeral”. The word for “funeral” is 장례식 in Korean. The actual place in which…