uh, the herder and the weaver is a Chinese love story
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Ancient tale lives on, inspiring Korean lovers' day
Lovers in Seoul wearing traditional dress exchange rice cakes, an
indigenous alternative to chocolate, to commemorate lunar July 7.
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- Koreans who are secretly in love sometimes
wait for Valentine's Day to confess their feelings. Some say they
shouldn't, since there is Chilseok, a traditional Korean lovers' day
in the middle of summer when an ancient tale suggests love reaches its
peak.
On the seventh day of July on the lunar calendar, which falls on the
solar August 11 this year, according to the tale, heaven allows its
daughter to reunite with her husband in the universe after a year of
forced separation. The lunar July 7 is now emerging in Korea as its
lovers' day, rather than Valentine's Day that came from the West.
"We take Valentine's Day for granted, and do not even know its
historical roots. It spread here for commercial reasons," Cha Ok-deok,
a Ph.D. in Korean literature and author of various Korean folklore and
history books, said.
Cha is one of the Korean culture experts who promotes Chilseok, which
means "seventh night" and refers to the lunar July 7, as Korea's day
for lovers.
"We have a heartfelt love story with Chilseok that was told from
generation to generation," she said.
Korean children grow up hearing the ancient tale of unbreakable love
between Gyeonu (cowherd) and Jingnyeo (young weaving woman). Jingnyeo,
a beautiful daughter of the heavenly lord, wove clothes with a loom,
which was so enchanting that stars in the sky stopped moving to look
at her. One day, she lifted her eyes to see a young man herding cattle
along a riverbank. When their eyes met, she felt instantly in love and
ran to her father to ask for permission to marry him. The heavenly
lord was pleased to see them together, as Gyeonu was known as a smart,
kind and diligent young man.
This ancient mural painting, produced in A.D. 408 in the Koguryo
Kingdom era and found inside a royal tomb in Tokhung-ri, South
Pyongyang Province, which is now part of North Korea, suggests Koreans
knew the love story that took place on the lunar day July 7 a long
time ago. In the painting, Gyeonu takes leave with a cow, while his
lover Jingnyeo sits behind him as if bidding farewell.
Too much love, however, became a misfortune. The couple were always
together and neglected their work, infuriating the heavenly lord.
After repeated admonitions, he declared they would be punished by
separation. Gyeonu was sent to the eastern end of the universe, and
Jingnye to the western end, and they were allowed to reunite only once
a year on the seventh day of July. When the day came, flocks of
magpies and crows formed a bridge for the couple to meet over the
milky way. Their tears of joy became rain on the earth, which actually
tends to happen on that day in Korea.
Folklore experts say the lunar July 7th, along with the first day of
the new year, is when yin and yang, or men and women in the context of
relationships, are balanced in the universe.
"The lunar July 7th is the only day of the year when the sun and the
moon are in the sky at the same time. It means there is a balance of
yin and yang," Cha said in her book "Chilseokjeeuigyoe," a compilation
on rituals of Chilseok Day.
An ancient mural painting suggests Koreans had the love story a long
time ago. The mural produced in A.D. 408 in the Koguryo Kingdom era,
found inside a royal tomb in Tokhung-ri, South Pyongyan Province,
which now belongs to North Korea, shows a man leaving with a cow and a
woman sitting behind him as if bidding her farewell.
Traditionally, Koreans exchanged gingko nuts with their loved ones,
hoping for their lasting love. They also wished for heavenly blessings
for their families and friends by cleaning their homes with water and
holding rituals for Jingnyeo, also believed to be the goddess of
weaving, experts say. But the customs stopped in the 1930s, as the
Japanese colonial era forced assimilation and banned education of
Korean language and culture.
A Milky Way of love: Seen here is a night sky view taken on the lunar
day July 7th. With the dark line of the Milky Way in the middle, at
the right side is the cowboy star, Altair (arrow at the top of the
photo) and the weaving maid star, Vega (arrow at bottom right). The
Korean story says the lovers were allowed to meet only once a year on
lunar July 7th, and their reunion over the Milky Way was made possible
by flocks of magpies and crows who built a bridge for them. The photo
was taken in 1999 in Muju County, South Jeolla Province. (Yonhap photo
database)
While the Gyeonu and Jingnyeo story originated in China, it developed
into different versions in Korea and Japan, and Koreans feel
particularly connected to it, experts say. They maintain the story
appeals to the Korean sense of longing for the other half of the
peninsula, as hundreds of thousands of families have been separated
since the 1950-53 Korean War.
Cho Kyu-ick, Korean literature professor of Seoul's Soongsil
University, compared the tragedy of separated families to that of the
mythical couple. After the war, married couples, parents and children
could not hope to meet again until the South and North began holding
brief reunions in 2000.
"The Chilseok Day should be restored as a festival to bridge the South
and North, an event for reunification," Cho said in his contribution
to "Chilseokjeeuigyoe."
As part of the movement to revive Chilseok Day, the Seoul city
government plans a fireworks festival next year along the Han River,
said Yoon Young-min, an official of the city's festival planning
department.
"Given our shared significance of Chilseok, we are working on the
theme of the reunion with loved ones as a new travel resource," he
said.
hk...@yna.co.kr
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'Hanshik': Day of Eating Cold Food and Visiting Ancestral Graves
Elderly women gather ssook at a field. The wild plant is used to make
various food in spring time, especially on Hanshik.
By Kim Tae-shik
SEOUL, April 1 (Yonhap) -- "Hanshik," the 105th day from the winter
solstice, has been celebrated as one of Korea's four major traditional
holidays since the Joseon Dynasty along with Lunar New Year's Day,
"Dano," the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar, and
"Chuseok," the autumn full moon festival.
Hanshik, which literally means cold food, usually falls in early April
in the solar calendar. On Hanshik day, people visit ancestral graves
to inspect gravesites, fix any of the graves damaged during winter and
pay tribute with food, drinks and flowers. People plant new grass on
the dome-shaped tombs and plant trees around graves. Also on this day,
preparations for farming begin in earnest.
The custom of visiting ancestral graves is said to have originated
from China's Tang Dynasty and transmitted to the Korean Peninsula
during the Silla Kingdom period. Koreans currently visit their
ancestral tombs at least twice a year on every Hanshik and Chuseok
holiday.
During the Koryo Dynasty, Hanshik was the most important traditional
holiday, when officials were given the day off to visit ancestors'
graves and prisoners were not executed. Hanshik falls on the same day
or one day after Chung Myung, the fifth of the 24 subdivisions of the
seasons when the weather is mild with clear skies, which is suitable
for farming.
Hanshik also has symbolic meaning of new fire replacing old fire for a
year until the next year's observance.
Family members repair their ancestor's tomb on Hanshik day.
The name Hanshik comes from the old custom of not making fires and
eating cold food. According to records of the Joseon Dynasty, a new
fire was lit on Hanshik day and given to the king, who in turn
distributed the fire to government offices and ranking officials who
then distributed it to ordinary people across the country. Until the
new fire arrived on Hanshik day, the "old fire" was supposed to be
extinguished and the use of fire was prohibited.
Another interesting legend about prohibiting the use of fire and
eating cold food on Hanshik came from China. In the seventh century
B.C., there was a very loyal man named Jie Zi Tui. Jie even slashed
his thigh to feed Prince Wen of Qin during his exile in foreign
countries to escape a rebellion in his country. After Wen returned to
China and became king, however, he ignored Jie's loyalty, which made
Jie so depressed that he went to the mountains and became a hermit.
Prince Wen later recognized Jie's loyalty and tried to persuade him to
return to the court to serve him. Jie, however, refused and hid
himself in the mountains with his old mother. In the hope of making
Jie return, the king ordered that the mountain be set on fire, but Jie
refused to come out. After the fire, Jie was found dead under a gutted
willow tree. From then on, the king ordered his subjects not to make
fires and to eat cold food on that day in memory of Jie.
Expressway is jampacked with cars going out of Seoul at the
Gungnaedong Toll Gate on Hanshik. Koreans visit their ancestral tombs
on Hanshik.
< Other interpretation is more practical. Because Hanshik falls during
the dry and windy season, the government prohibited fires on that day
to prevent mountain fires, as many people visited gravesites located
on mountains.
Unlike the other three big traditional holidays when there are lot of
folk games and events, there were no specific events on Hanshik day
because it is during the busy farming season. Instead, people spend
the day quietly taking care of gravesites.
However, there are some specific foods for Hanshik day. Among them are
"ssook tteok," "ssook danza" and "ssook tang." "Ssook," or mugwort, is
major ingredient of these foods.
Ssook tteok (green rice cake) is made by grinding glutinuous rice
power with mugwort leaves, mixing them well with water and shaping
them into flat and round pieces with one's hands. The cakes are then
placed in a "siru," a kind of cooker, and steamed.
Ssook Tang is a soup cooked with mugwort and various seasonings like
soybean paste and ground garlic, while ssok danza (dumpling-like rice
cake) is made of glutinuous rice powder, mugwort, salt, soybean powder
and other ingredients.
There are no clear records on the origin of the tradition of eating
foods with mugwort for Hanshik. Scholars guess the reason is that
mugwort is one of the most common wild plants in Korea and spring is
the best season to eat the plant. Mugwort is said to be good for
stimulating the appetite, which is said to decline when the seasons
change. It is also said to be good for digestion and for women's
health and beauty.
k...@yna.co.kr
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Dancheong to Regain Traditional Colors
Inside of Geunjeongjeon, main building of Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul,
is decorated with colorful dancheong.
By Kim Tae-shik
SEOUL, March 4 (Yonhap) -- One of the unique cultural beauties on
offer to foreigners in South Korea is "dancheong," the practice of
coloring, designing and even preserving old architectural buildings
like palaces and Buddhist temples.
It describes the pattern of colors that appear on the eaves and roofs
of time-worn buildings, and has been an indispensable part of Korean
architecture.
Although forms of dancheong also exist in China and Japan, the Korean
version is considered more elegant and colorful with none of the
shallowness that can result from using too many colors.
However, the traditional process is slightly different from the that
used for renovation purposes.
In contrast to the more conservative colors of old, its modern-day
equivalent uses brighter primary colors and chemical pigments, that
critics argue lacks harmony with the surrounding environment. In
response, the government is now moving to restore the original
coloring.
The Cultural Heritage Administration revealed Wednesday a number of
plans to restore the traditional colors of dancheong.
The administration will devise standard color charts bestowing a
specific number on each one. It will also advise central and local
governments to apply the standardized color scheme in future work on
cultural properties.
In addition it will organize a standing adviser group with experts in
the decorative art to have them consult on the renovation of state-and
local government- designated cultural properties.
As a longer-term project, the government will support the production
of natural pigments to replace the chemical pigments now used in the
art form.
Dancheong incorporates various patterns, including lotus flowers, that
are used to brighten walls, pillars and ceilings of wooden structures
in an array of five colors: blue, red, yellow, white and black. The
name itself is a color - "dan" means red and "cheong" means blue.
Some of the myriad patterns used in dancheong
It agrees with the principle of Yin and Yang in oriental philosophy
and the five colors represent the five constituents of the cosmos,
with blue symbolizing wood (east), red fire (south), yellow earth
(center), white iron (west), and black water (north). Instead of only
coloring, the artistic quality of dancheong is very high.
It was used to add dignity to palaces and temple buildings, the
resting places of kings, revered monks and the Buddha.
The art also has a functional purpose in that it protects the wooden
structure from invading insects and helps stave off wood erosion.
It is not clear when dancheong was first introduced, but it is
generally believed that the practice may date back to the Three
Kingdoms' Era (57 B.C.-668 A.D.) as patterns were discovered in mural
paintings of Koguryeo tumuli. These patterns have a fixed scheme and
are similar to works handed down from generation to generation.
Dancheong skills were transferred from Koguryeo to Baekje, Silla and
even to Japan.
It is said that Damjing, a famous Buddhist monk and painter of
Koguryeo, painted the renowned mural at the Horyuji Temple of Japan,
which is said to be the world's oldest wooden structure - built in the
late sixth century.
Mineral pigments were used in dancheong. However, production of the
natural pigments was suspended since the early 20th century due to the
unprofitable nature of the product. Currently, 14 chemical pigments
are used in Korea.
Japan also uses chemical pigments while China employs water paints.
Natural pigments are superior in durability and color to those of
chemical pigments, according to an an official of the Cultural
Heritage Administration.
The administration plans to study measures to support the production
of natural pigments in parallel with conducting research to enhance
the durability of the chemical pigments.
k...@yna.co.kr
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