South Korea 'Jeongwol Daeboreum' Fire Festival

Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival in Jeju

Daeboreum (literally means: 'Great Full Moon') and is a Korean holiday were men celebrate the first full moon of the new year, of the lunar Korean calendar. This holiday is accompanied by many traditions. The 2010 Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival is held from the 28th of Feb in many Korean Cities, with the theme ' peace and prosperity, wishing well-being and happiness.

The festival offers a number of events where visitors can participate at folk games. As Daeboreum-related traditions have undergone simplification over the years, some practices have become harder to spot in urban areas. However in many rural villages they still take place.

Period: Friday February 26th - Sunday, February 28th 2010

Venue: Saebyeol-Oreum (on Pyeonghwa-ro), Bongseong-Ri, Aewol-Eup, Jeju

Theme: 'Jeju: Peace and Prosperity, Peaceful Well-Being and Happiness”

Host/Organizer: Jeju City / Jeju Jeongwol Daeboreum Deulbul Festival Promotion Council

Participants: 350,000

Historically, Bureom is the first thing many people do on Daeboreum day and is perhaps one of the most widely observed habits still practiced today. Eating “bureom,” also known as hard-shell nuts, is believed to keep away skin disease during the New Year. It is also a tradition to bite into the shell with one's own teeth, out of the belief that the noise resulting from the cracking drives away evil spirits. However for 'Bureom' to have any effect, it should be done before you have spoken a word.

Tug of war, or Juldarigi as it is called, is a favorite tradition during Daeboreum. Women take a side and pull on the 'female rope' while the men stand at the opposite side holding the 'male rope'. If the women are declared the winners, people believe that the year's harvest will be of abundance. Also many people try greeting a friend with the phrase Nae deowi sara,which means “buy my heat.” If you manage to say the words to your friend before he or she does, the story goes that you wont suffer of the notorious heat and humidity of Korean summers.

Mostly young people, play Jwibulnori it is a fun game where kids twirl cans filled with burning charcoal. As pieces of charcoal fall to the ground, they believed the ground is blessed and insects are killed.

During Daeboreum, you eat Ogokbap(오곡밥 / 五穀밥) for breakfast, a five-'grain' rice consisting of rice, millet, Indian millet, beans, and red beans. 'Ogokbap' is not eaten in your own home but in the homes of your neighbours. Because, men belief that if you eat the Ogokbap in the presence of different family names, good luck will come.

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