Koreans have unique ways to celebrate just about every holiday, so it is always exciting when another one comes around because it is a totally new experience for us foreigners. We heard that there were going to be bonfires in various places on the night of full moon, so my friends and I decided to go to Haeundae Beach, where supposedly the biggest celebration was taking place. I had been told a little bit about it during school that day, as teachers talked over coffee break about what they were doing to celebrate and explained the traditions to me. They told me that in Korea, the first full moon after the Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year) is a huge deal, and hence the cause of great celebration and prayer. It is the night when Koreans make their prayers and wishes for the year ahead. To do this, they write their wishes on paper and put the into the bonfire, or they write them on paper lanterns which are set off into the sky like balloons. So, I went to the event knowing a little bit about the holiday, but no idea what the celebration would actually be like.
As we got off of the subway at Haeundae station, we were immediately surprised by the hoards of people, coming and going from every direction. For some reason, we had pictured this as a quiet event, and it was anything but. As I climbed the stairs from the underground, I could see a massive plume of smoke rising up into the sky, and I realized that this wasn't going to be your average bonfire at all. As we approached the beach and the massive fire came into view and my friend Alexis took one look and said, "Wow, I think that's the biggest fire I've ever seen." I was pretty sure it was the same for me. We walked along the beach toward the fire and watched as people dug holes in the sand and placed candles, like their own little prayer alter. Others were gathered in groups with of family, setting off paper lanterns decorated with scribbles of their wishes for the coming year.
As we approached the bonfire, the sound of a beating drum and Korean folk music became louder. When we got closer, we saw that there were hundreds of people dressed in traditional Korean hanbock (kind of like kimonos), holding hands and dancing around the fire, with the bright full moon rising overhead. My friend Kelsey decided to get in on the action, and was probably the only foreigner dancing and singing to the folk music. We all got a lot of attention at the event. A group of older men and women (bottles of soju in hand), came up and asked to take a picture with us. Before we knew it, it was like the paparazzi swarming, there must have been 20 different people trying to either take a picture or get in a picture with us. They seemed just as fascinated with us as we were with them.
After about an hour or so, the blare of the bonfire began to calm, and so the dancing and singing quieted too. People slowly finished their prayers and made their way home. We were happy to have experienced yet another unique part of Korean culture. We hung around, watching the evening wrap up, but soon our attention turned to our stomachs which were growling with hunger for dinner. Though we probably should have continued the celebration with a traditional Korean meal, we decided to honor our own culture and went for some nachos and burritos at the new taco joint near the beach...nothing like the greasy, deliciousness of home sweet home!
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