YEAR OF THE TIGER
February 14th marked the Lunar New Year Celebration ( I know - behind on the blog again...). Korea follows the Chinese calendar and 2010 is a Tiger year. Not only is it a Tiger year, but specifically a Metal Tiger year. The Metal Tiger is competitive and ostentatious, and this year will be characterized by more financial voluability, further military conflict, and the continuing surge in Asian economies. The last Metal Tiger year was 1950, which marked the beginning of the Korean War, so some Koreans are a bit anxious about what this year will bring. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Tiger are authoritative, self-possessed, have strong leadership qualities, are charming, ambitious, courageous, warm-hearted, highly seductive, moody, intense, and they’re ready to pounce at any time. Compatible with Horse or Dog. Having a Tiger in the house is a good protection against fire and burglary. 
To celebrate the New Year, we visited the Namsan Hanok (folk village) in Seoul. It was a cold, cold, and fiercely windy day, but that didn't deter us - or the thousands of other people who came for the adventure. There were shows, demonstrations, and exhibits, so it was an interesting day. The Namsan Hanok is right in the city of Seoul. It consists of 5 "noble" houses, a garden and pond (iced over) and display venues. It is not elaborate, and is a pleasant place to visit - we are looking forward to coming back in warmer weather.
Noise Noise NOISE! The music for the New Year consists of drums, tambours, trumpets and gongs. The more noise, the fewer ghosts and bad spirits, and the better luck and prosperity for the coming year. Layden got to try his hand at the tambour - he did a pretty good job contributing to the general din.
Another way to ward off evil spirits is to make sure the proper painting is done on the eaves of your house. Elaborate color schemes like this one, called dan chong, were reserved for palaces and temples. They involve 5 colors - red, blue, yellow, green, and white. Nobles of lesser stature were allowed three colors; and then two. Peasants usually resorted to white. Colors are believed to have great power. That may be an insight into the Korean preference for what often appears to the Western eye as garish.
No festival would be complete without interesting things to eat - VERY interesting. This vendor is selling a number of things. One is a skewer of chicken and onion, drenched in a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce and very tasty. Another, in the kettle on the right is something called so ra. It is snail shell (no snails inside) and is supposedly salty, a little crunchy, and a good source of calcium. We didn't try these, but we might. In the kettle on the left is a delicacy known as bundegi. They look a bit like bugs, and with good reason - they are! These are silk worm pupae. Definitely did NOT eat these. Don't know if we ever will.
On a more palatable note - perhaps - is ujingo, dried squid that is pressed and marinated in a sauce similar to teriyaki sauce. Actually they are quite tasty.
Okay - okay. Enough of the exotic. Here is one of our favorites! These treats are known as bungo pan, or fish bread. They are made by pouring a batter, similar to pancake batter, in a cast-iron fish-shaped mold, dropping in some sweet bean paste, adding more batter, closing the lid, cooking, and serving hot and delicious. They don't have anything to do with fish other than their shape. Why are they shaped like fish? Tradition.
The New Year is much like Chuseok in that it is a time to give gifts, especially of food. This year, Sarah was honored with lovely gifts from her Korean "students" - our realtor and the brother of our landlord come twice a week to practice English with her. This is a box of hanlabong, which is a delicious citrus fruit. It is a large tangerine-type fruit, easy to peel and very sweet. It is a prized fruit here in Korea.
Another gift was a basket of hangwa, or Korean rice cookies, which are the log-shaped white cookies -these filled the basket, which was large! These are made with rice and honey. Also included in the basket were honey cakes (in the corners) and sesame cakes with symbols for good luck and prosperity. Both of these gifts were presented in a cloth wrapping - the traditional way to wrap and carry items. We enjoyed these gifts very much.
Prayers for good luck, prosperity, health and other good things are tied on to ropes in front of a temple. May your Year of the Tiger be full of the same things.
Oh, all your posts bring back such fun memories for me. About the bundegi.. Bill DID try them. His Korean students talked him into it. He tells a great story, but, bottom line is that they taste as bad as they smell! You don't want to go there. I'm so glad you're getting out there and enjoying the people and the country. That's what made it special for us. ENJOY!
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