Yes, KFV, I’m not done with you yet, not by a long shot! So here I will share a bit about the several special performances that we were able to catch during our short visit to the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, South Korea. There were a total of four shows, and I am splitting them in two posts. For this one, it’s the Traditional Wedding Ceremony and the Farmer’s Music & Dance.
(You can check out my other posts on our visit to the Korean Folk Village HERE, HERE and HERE.)
TRADITIONAL WEDDING CEREMONY
I first caught a glimpse of this in some Korean dramas and movies that I watched. If I remember correctly, the first one was in the My Little Bride movie, with a then-very-young Moon Geun-young and Kim Rae-won. And then the Sweet 18 kdrama with then real-and-reel life sweethearts Lee Dong-gun and Han Ji-hye (how I still remember these details, it somehow stumps me, too, haha!)
Several thoughts that ran through my mind when I watched them.
“Their clothes are so colorful and pretty~”
“What are those red dots on the bride’s cheeks??”
And “Gawd, how many times do they have to stand, sit down, then bow down to the ground?!”
From what I deduced (and learned from watching my fair share of Korean shows), most modern Korean couples hold two weddings. One is a western-style wedding, where they get to dress in bridal finery (yes, just like the Japanese, the Korean brides also want to wear all those yards of satin, tulle, silk, chiffon and whatnot~). And they will have a separate traditional wedding ceremony.
Lorie and I were running late to catching the first performance but, thankfully, we got there in time. As you can see below, the traditional wedding ceremony is performed twice a day, at 12 noon and at 4:00pm. We were planning to be out of there by 4, so it was imperative that we catch the first show.
The ceremony was being held at the Outer Servants’ and Guests Wing of the Nobleman’s Mansion. There was already a crowd of spectators when we arrived, having taken up seats on the sides, away from the heat of the sun.
The setup was already in place. There was a smaller tent beside the large tent, and these are meant for viewers who want to watch it up close. It was already filled with people, and tiny me won’t be able to see past these taller people, so we settled on staying on the shaded areas.
Each item on the table has a meaning. The wooden goose (or mandarin duck in some cases) covered in blue cloth, for example, represents “harmony and love between husband and wife”. Wild geese are known to keep their promises, and they mate for life. The best man presents this to the groom, who will then present it to the family of the bride.
But for purposes of this performance, it was just placed on the wedding table. I think they stuck to the wedding proper.
We were standing beside one of the entryways and, suddenly, some costumed guys walked right past us. Had I been better prepared, I would have taken photos faster. 🙂
It was the groom, dressed in blue and white, and his attendant, also in the same colors. The attendant is the Best Man, or the girukabi. There are two other attendants, in white.
The groom stood facing the entryway where the bride will walk through, flanked by two attendants. She wears a traditional wedding dress or hanbok.
After the first meeting and bowing, the bride and the groom are led to their respective spots. This part of the ceremony is known as the gyo-bae-rye, where they face each other and bow.
The groom is on the east of the wedding table, while the bride is led to the west. Mats are prepared for each of them to sit and bow on.
Then a series of bowing begins. And it’s not just a bow where you bend your waist. It’s a full-on bow with your knees, palms and forehead on the ground, and your tush in the air. And when they straighten, it is to their full heights, and then down on their knees again.
It’s like a slower version of HIIT workout. Haha!
But that is on the part of the groom.The bride, obviously, is more ladylike, and so it’s just a mild bow, with the assistance of her two helpers.
Apparently, the bowing is meant to symbolize their commitment to each other.
From readings, the groom half-bows first, then they both stand. The bride bows twice, groom half-bows once. The bride bows twice again, and then the groom does the deep bow.
As I watched, I was wondering why there was a need for two helpers for the bride. They looked like they were not having an easy time either. Then I read that, when sitting down, the bride will have to do it cross-legged, unlike the groom, who kneels down, so it is easier for him to stand up. The bride has to stand from sitting cross-legged, and doing so without assistance would appear unlady-like. Or un-bride-like?
Also, the sleeves of the bride’s hanbok
There was also the hap-geun-rye proper, where the bride and groom drink from their respective gourd dippers, and combine them. This symbolizes their becoming and being one.
The ceremony ended several minutes later with the groom and the bride facing the guests and bowing together.
I’d love to know what all the designs and details meant, even the colors worn and used during the ceremony. The red dots on the bride’s cheeks are either painted on, or stuck on the cheeks. These are supposed to represent ruddy cheeks, youth and purity. But since red is said to be strong against evil spirits, it also represents protection of the bride against them.
From what I saw, a traditional wedding is much more elaborate, with more details and intricacies. I don’t think the one presented was the entirety of it. Due to time constraints, I am pretty sure they cut some parts off. But this 30-minute performance alone showed how much detail is involved. For one, I read there were dances prior to the ceremony, but there were none of those on this one. It started the moment the groom and his best man came out.
Unfortunately, the entire performance was done in Hangul. No English translations (unless you are with a tour guide and he provides a running commentary). So we just focused on what was going on as we couldn’t understand what was being said. Plus I think the words were in old-style or formal Korean, the ones you usually hear in sageuks or historical dramas, which makes it doubly harder.
Here’s a shot of some cute kids on a field trip. I would like to be a fly on the wall when their teacher explains what they just watched.:)
Oh, and while we were walking around the Nobleman’s Mansion a little later, we spotted the bride and her attendants head to the house of the Wife of the Master. I think that’s their dressing room.
FARMER’S MUSIC AND DANCE
Unfortunately, we were not able to catch this show in its entirety. It started at 1:30 pm, and at that time we were still wandering around at the Wooden Bridge. 🙂 We could hear the music and the sound of the gongs, though. When we got there, we caught the tail-end of the performance.
And I was able to get a very short video of the tail-end of the performance.
This is a performance of what is also known as “Farmer’s Dance”. This dance was designated as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 2011, and was registered in South Korea’s registry as “Cultural Asset No. 11”. I love how they put identifying numbers on their national treasures. It gives them permanent identities.
It was performed in an amphitheater-style setup in the middle of the Performance Area. There are two others spaces on both sides, for two other special performances (which will be in my next post).
The Farmer’s Dance is also known as Nongak, and it was originally performed to percussion beats during planting, harvesting and other farming and agricultural events. It became so widespread, especially in the rural areas, that it has become one of the oldest dance forms in South Korea.
These are meant not only to entertain the farmers while at work, but also to ask for blessings from the gods during harvest, to seek protection for villages and homes, and to give thanks to spirits and mountain gods.
I was particularly mesmerized with all the twirling and turning as the performers practically threw themselves in the air while running around in a wide circle, all to the beat of the gongs and drums. It has a lot of acrobatic elements, and the twirling long white streamers add drama to the whole setup.
The gongs somehow reminded me of our local gangsa or stylized as ganza.
The costumes are white, and it is their vests and the streamers that provide color. They were so light on their feet~!
It was so full of energy, and their energy was infectious, it ripples through the crowd.
When the show was over, the performers stayed in the middle of the amphitheater to give a chance for the visitors to take photos with them. We would have wanted to, but there was an announcement that the next performance, the Acrobatic Show, will begin shortly. We wanted decent seats, so we immediately rushed over to the next area.
I noticed how around 90% of the visitors were Koreans. In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find foreigners there. I find this impressive because it means they want to learn more about their own culture. And they bring their children along with them, too!
I hope I can say the same for my countrymen, but I know more than a few people who can’t even be bothered to teach their little kids about their roots or their culture, even if it is simply though performances. It is a sad day when kids know more about the Disney Channel than the indigenous Igorot dance tayao.
But enough of that. I am sharing this video to give you a glimpse of the Farmer’s Music and Dance special performance at the Korean Folk Village. (The performance is once a day, at 1:30pm.)
Leave a Reply