The ‘Seoul Lantern Festival’ began in 2009 and has become a major event. Held every November along the Cheonggyecheon stream (A beautifully reclaimed stream that runs through the city center, which has become an everyday gathering place. It’s modern sculptures, eight bridges carefully shape a paved walkway that meanders through the city) the festival attracts over 2 million people during the 2 weeks that it’s on.
This year’s lantern theme was “Stories of Seoul’s Past”.
Made from paper with electricity generated light, the maze of lanterns was fascinating. Many of the pieces stood between 3 to 5 metres high! Each piece was important in relaying a message about Korea’s culture, it’s values. We learned a great deal about the stories and history of Korea through the lanterns and narratives by each display.
People purchased small candle-lit lanterns, wrote messages (wishes) in them, and sent them floating down the stream. The crowds of people, floating lanterns moving in between the displays created a truly magnificent scene.
A section by local artists, lanterns of famous superheroes, along with lanterns from around the world finished the stunning trail. In total there were over 20,000 lanterns on display.
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| This peacocks wings flapped, tailed fanned and it blew fire out its beak |
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| Korean folk tale of two lovers that were separated by different worlds - magpie and blackbird saved the day |
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| Floating lanterns |
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At no cost…not a bad way to spend a chilly Sunday evening learning more about Korea.
