LIFE IS A WORK OF ART: KOREA INVADES CEBU: HELLO HALLYU!!!

I am not a k-pop fan but I hold a deep fascination with Korean culture and tradition and I would love to learn more about their culture. The root of my great fascination came from watching Korean series and movies. Describing “Korean Culture” and how one can love it is not easy coming from a non-Korean seeing Korean culture. Saying that I love Korean culture does not mean to say that I admire everything about them. I just have positive feelings about its culture, the ways the people live and the things they value without having it compared with my own culture and values wrongfully. We may perceive Koreans as unfriendly, but really, this is just due to cultural differences or a language barrier. Koreans are actually hospitable. They share a unique spirit, living by “WE” concept. Koreans put the welfare of others ahead before themselves, but do not easily express their emotions toward others straightforwardly.

KOREAN FESTIVAL 2012 IN CEBU CITY was at its first. Holding this kind of event brings two cultures together. I am hoping to see more of the festival in the coming years in sha Allah.

“Let’s Celebrate! Korean Festival 2012” that’s the theme of the Festival.

FACT: During the festivity, I learned that Cebu City’s sister city is Busan and Yeosu in South Korea.

No wonder Cebu is the favorite haven of Koreans. Particularly they are drawn to the country’s beaches and hospitality of Filipinos. About 2,000 Korean communities came to Cebu to study, enjoy the beaches and landmarks and invest in business. According to a report, Koreans are the number one tourist in the Philippines today. One has to look around and see Korean establishments like English schools, restaurants, groceries, shops, churches, and the Korean pop culture “HALLYU” influence!

In the festival area, there are many different zones where visitors can experience a wide range of Korean culture. Nothing can be more Korean than the experience of wearing a HANBOK!

FACT: Hanbok is the traditional Korean dress. It is often characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. The term literally means “Korean Clothing”. Hanbok was established as part of the unique living culture of Korea, influenced by the geographical and climatic nature of the Korean peninsula, and handed down throughout the years to present times.

THE BEAUTY OF HANBOK...

The best Hanbok I fell in love with was the one worn in the movie “HWANG JINI” by Hye-Kyo Song.

HOW COULD SOMETHING SO SIMPLE AND CONSERVATIVE TURN OUT TO BE SO SEXY?

AND OF COURSE THE T.V. SERIES VERSION : Ha Ji-Won as Hwang Jin Yi

Who wore it better?

I find the 'royalty hanbok' type lovely...

A modern take on Asian aesthetic. The outfit looks like a modernized version of the Korean Hanbok that’s both rustic and elegant. Design by Christian Dior.

We enjoyed ourselves with free movies: Arahan (action-fantasy film) and Spellbound (horror-comedy film). The better of the two films was Spellbound. It is one of the recommended films I watched. It’s not every day that I get to watch a film that would make me laugh loud at the same time scares the hell out of me. It has the right amount of romance, comedy, and creepiness that will keep the viewers on the edge of your seat.

We watched the cultural show on its last day. It was started with a marching band called “Chwitawitadae”.

FACT: Chwitawitadae is a Korean traditional marching band. It is group of musicians that plays Daechwit Daechwita. Daechwita is the music played by royal military band and is historically used in the march of the King or high official. Daechwita consist of percussion and wind instruments as the word “chwita” literally means “to blow and to hit”.

The image below looks the same with the performers i saw...

The marching band performed first outside the theater while people lined up for the show. They started pulling people to join them dance. To my great surprise a lady performer grabbed me by the hand into the crowd and shown me how to dance. I was laughing so hard because I didn’t know what I was doing. I danced until my head hurts from spinning around.

A traditional Korean farmer’s dance performed by percussionists called Gwanggaeto Samulnori.

The audience who experienced the performance found Korean traditional percussion exciting. We enjoyed and applauded the performance.

People enjoyed a meditative performance of Changgo.

FACT: CHANGGO is a traditional hour-glass drum, adapted for p’ungnyu, the classical ensemble music of Korean nobility. P’ungnyu also refers to an elevated state of leisure in which one can better appreciate poetry, music and companionship.

In the middle part of the cultural show, the audience found it monotonous as the same type of performance was shown over and over again. Korean traditional song was sung 5 times and we have no idea what the song was all about. The only part that people became alive was when a GANGNAM style dance was performed.