Lanterns and Falafel

Yesterday I was able to cross yet another thing off of my "want-to-do" list here in Korea! This weekend was the last few days of the 3-week-long Lantern Festival in the heart of Seoul! This annual event brings people from all over the country to see the amazing artistic showcase that is the hundreds of lanterns displayed through the Cheonggyecheon Stream. We arrived around 5 o'clock when the festival began and with a hot drink in hand we began our walk down the stream. Luckily for us we got there at the perfect time! Because it was still light out, the crowds hadn't really formed yet so we made it into the venue with very little trouble. 

As the sun set, the already gorgeous lanterns became even more impressive! The lanterns represent important parts of Korean history and cultural traditions such as music, dance, and occupations. The lanterns are made with paper, and then covered with some type of protective plastic I think? We wondered how the lanterns would not turn to piles of mushy pulp after some of the storms we've had here. They had been up for three weeks, so they must be pretty resilient to weather! We made our way down, commenting on the intricate details of facial expressions and colors used for the lanterns. Some of them had moving parts and lights as well! 

Lanterns at the beginning of the show

You might recognize the drum from other posts!

Not only could you look at the lanterns but you could also add notes and wishes of your own to several lantern frames along the way. It was amazing to see one of the huge dragon frames covered with small paper notes from visitors over the past three weeks. You could also make your own small lantern to float down the river with a small candle inside! I couldn't get a good picture of this but it was beautiful to see the hundreds of small lanterns floating in the water together.

Notes on a paper dragon

Happy Little Lantarn Man

As the display continued down the river the lanterns became more and more elaborate and modern. One of my favorite displays was one that had lantern children from a wide variety of countries. Surprisingly to most of us the UK child was donning a Scottish kilt? I suppose its better than holding a pint of beer and having bad teeth. America, naturally, was represented by a Native American child. Overall though this really represented the coming together of all nations peacefully; I really loved it!

Once the sun was completely down, the crowds came. The side of the river became so crowded with people that it was difficult to get good pictures of lanterns or ourselves in front of lanterns without being jostled around or accidentally pushed into the river to become a human Popsicle (It was very cold...). I suppose because it was the last day of the festival, a lot of people followed our thought process and wanted to see it before they took it all down! There were volunteers in bright neon vests and star wars style light-sabers to guide the crowd down the river and keep everything in order. Thanks volunteers!


 Near the end of the display the lanterns turned into more recognizable characters such as superman, batman, and of course, spiderman. As well as a giant pineapple. Naturally.

No Spongebob though :(

Thank goodness you came Spiderman!

Overall, I loved being able to go to this festival! It was gorgeous and such a fun way to spend the evening with friends! I wished I could have seen the process of making the lanterns. It looks like it takes endless hours of work! The result is an incredible show of artistry and beauty for us all to enjoy. After walking the length of the display along the river and back, it was time to get some grub. Katrina and I had found an Arabic restaurant in Itaewan (near the army base) that we both wanted to try, so this would be our next stop! The owner is from Jordan, so I was looking forward to some authentic Arabic dishes. When we arrived we were greeted by the wonderful smell of cumin and tahini as well as Arabic music.

 
According to the others, this was the most excited I've been about food since I've arrived...you can't keep me from my falafel for that long! I go through withdrawal! We ordered a sample platter of hummus, baba ganoush, and labneh to have with our pita bread. We also got falafel...duh...and some delicious chicken and lamb dishes! The food was so good and it brought back happy memories of home. When we were full of yummy food, we decided to head out in search of a place to grab a drink or two to finish off the evening. After finding a lot of places completely full we stumbled into a Spanish Tapas Restaurant that has a wine bar upstairs. We spend the rest of the evening swapping stories and planning for future trips together.

Tonight we are sharing some Manchego cheese (thinking of you Papa!) and wine together before heading into the week of work. I hope everyone is looking forward to their Thanksgiving coming up! Although we will not really be celebrating it here, I will think about how thankful I am for all of my friends and family back home supporting my crazy trip out here and sending their love across the world. Miss you all and wish you a safe and happy holiday!

xoxo

Korean word of the post: 치구 (chingoo) "friend"