Monkeying Around the Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year everyone! If you're confused about why there is Chinese New Year, Korean New Year, and so on, just know that they are all pretty much the same thing. To be more general, it's called Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year is one the most important celebrations of the year in East Asian culture. It is celebrated by many East Asian countries besides China and Korea. To creatively as well as culturally ring in the year of the monkey, we decided to cover a few of the most important symbols of East Asian culture.

This first picture is a cross-cultural representation of China and Korea. The lantern is the heart of the Chinese New Year celebration as it symbolizes the wish for a bright future. It is quite literally a light for hope. Both China and Korea specifically celebrate their own Lantern Festivals at different times of the year. People release lanterns into the sky as a representation of letting go of their old selves and hoping for good fortune. Just picture that lantern scene from Tangled--it's beautiful.

Besides the lantern, I am also wearing a hanbok, which is worn for Lunar New Year celebrations in Korea. If you haven't read our hanbok post from last year, then click this link right below!!!

http://www.letrendary.com/2014/12/welcome-2015.html

I don't know about you, but I am a flower fanatic. Cherry Blossoms are easily one of my favorites. I didn't realize, but certain kinds of Cherry Blossoms produce actual cherries! Cherry Blossoms are the national flower of Japan. It is fundamentally a symbol of love, joy, and the fragility of life. Japan's samurai culture admired cherry blossoms due to their short lives, and used them as a representation of blood drops. The blooming period of cherry blossoms are very short, so they serve as a visual reminder of how precious and precarious life is. Just as the life of a flower, life is short and should thus be lived to the fullest. A National Cherry Blossoms Festival has been annually celebrated for 80 years in Washington D.C. to commemorate the gift of Japanese cherry trees in 1912 in an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the US and Japan. Although...several trees were chopped down after Pearl Harbor for obvious reasons. Today, there are Cherry Blossom Festivals all over the country. There are a few in SoCal, so check them out if you can!

The final object we wanted to focus on was a sword. A sword represents not only power but also honor and wisdom. Buddhists recognize the sword as a metaphor of cutting through ignorance to reach the truth of all things.

This picture honestly reminds of Mulan. Diana and I share our love for Mulan because she defies the archetype of a warrior always having to be a male. I've read feminist articles arguing that Mulan is not a feminist because she has to dress as a boy for selfhood, but I think they're completely missing the bigger picture. Mulan goes to war because she wants to save her father's life and wants to bring her family honor. She wants to find her purpose in life, and she wants to do something meaningful. Mulan is physically as well as mentally strong throughout the entire movie, and I admire that.


Thanks for reading and Happy Happy New Year!!!

Dig Into Your Roots

Korean Heritage Camp 2015

I had the honor and privilege of going to the 2015 Korean Heritage Camp for adopted children! I am not adopted, so I wasn't a participant of the activities. Instead, I was the camp's cinematographer, in which I was able to go around and film everywhere. KHC is hosted annually in the Rocky Mountains at Snow Mountain Ranch. It began 24 years ago and has grown tremendously over the years. Because of Korean Heritage Camp, 12 other Heritage Camps have been created; it was the first and original of all 13 Heritage Camps. There were nearly 1,000 people involved with KHC this year. 

KHC is a family camp, so the entire family is there for four days and three nights. The purpose of KHC is to educate Korean adoptees and their families about the Korean culture and to provide a sense of Korean identity and community to them also. Because the majority of Korean adopted children do not have Korean parents, they are unfamiliar with the Korean culture. Thus, this camp gives them an opportunity to appreciate and learn about their roots. 

Camp activities ranged from calligraphy to cooking to counseling. This camp was so unique and cultural that it is must-share! While I was there, I met families from various states. Some came from foreign countries or all the way from Korea. It was so touching to see how the parents cared and loved their children. Because of my experience, I am truly considering adopting children one day. All the parents I spoke to talked about how they felt so grateful and blessed. One mom told me that she doesn't know how it happens, but you always get the child you are meant to have. The families were so special.

A lot of the photographs below are still-frames from video clips, so they may not be very focused. I am currently creating a documentary on the camp, so I will share the link with all of you once it is completed. Here is the link to the KHC website if you're interested in reading more:  http://www.heritagecamps.org/what-we-do/the-camps/korean.html

Left: The view outside my cabin Right: Korean Tea Ceremony

Left: Dongman Han delivering a seminar to the adults and high-schoolers//Consul General of the Republic of Korea in San Francisco Right: Pam, Mimi, Jacqueline, and Kelli//KHC Camp Directors

Left: Korean Lantern Craft Right: The Anderson Family//Mr. and Mrs. Anderson adopted 3 Korean children

Pre-schoolers learning to play the Sogo (소고), a traditional Korean drum.

During lunch, over 800 people gather to eat a meal prepared by the Korean community. 

Right: Middle-schoolers learn how to cook kimbap (김밥), a popular Korean dish.

Kids compete to make the best tasting kimbap!

Another middle-school group learned calligraphy and to write in Korean.

Left: Excited pre-schoolers! Right: Dad and adopted son

Left: Two little girls dressed up in hanboks (한복). Right: He was showing off his magical watches!

Taekwondo is Korean self-defense. It has become a popular sport, and you are likely to find a studio nearby you. 

Left: Elementary school kids learning to read Korean and do crafts. Right: Picture of the Korean traditional dress, hanbok. They were selling used ones at a cheap price. I was so close to buying another one.

The most rewarding part of this camp was realizing how lucky and proud I am to be Korean. As a Korean-American, I have grown up getting the best of both worlds. The Korean culture is exceptional, and I am so thankful that it has shaped me as an individual. Dig into your roots!

Welcome, 2015!

How have I utilized the 8760 hours in 2014? How have I changed this year-emotionally, physically, mentally? Am I a better person than I was at the start of this year? What from this year will stick with me the most as I move onto 2015?

There is greater number of days I've forgotten than remembered. It comes off pessimistic and melancholy, but it's true. For me, it's already befuddling to distinguish what happened in 2008 from what happened in 2009. Therefore, how much will I remember of 2014 ten years from now? Personally speaking, not much. Frankly, each year is becoming more critical and more stressful. Aware of the fact that there will be challenges in the imminent year, prepare to boldly handle those challenges.

Besides having resolutions specifically for 2015, it is also healthy to have perpetual goals that stick in the back of your head. I came up with one of my own back in 8th grade, and it's been my personal proverb ever since. It is simple: Work hard, and be humble, benign, and gentle. It's my abiding resolution, and it has stuck with me because I frequently analyze myself- my personality, my goals, etc. All this to say, goodbye, 2014. Welcome, 2015!

The Korean Hanbok 한복

Hanbok is a Korean Traditional Dress. The origins of the dress go as far back as the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BC-668 AD). The hanbok was originally designed for everyday wear in cold weather and nomadic life. The basic structure of the hanbok has 2 parts: Jeogori (the top) and Chima (the skirt). Underneath the jeogori and chima, it is normal to wear multiple layers of pants and dresses. Even up until the Korean War, Koreans wore the hanbok as their daily wear. When I see photographs of my grandparents when they were younger, they always were in their hanboks. Rapid industrialization starting in the 1960s changed all of that; industrialization provoked Western-style clothes to commercialize in Korea. Now, hanboks are only worn for special occasions like New Years, weddings, family celebrations, etc. When I was young, I remember wearing my hanbok on New Years and doing traditional bows to my grandparents, parents, and relatives as a sign of respect and honor. Of course, the incentive was to receive money for doing so. Therefore, the hanbok is an symbolic and meaningful article of clothing in my life. Although I am American, I am still by blood a Korean. 

Click to enlarge photos

I love this dress because it is a modern hanbok. It looks much more contemporary without the jeogori. There are so many minute details in the dress, and everything is handmade out of silk. Hanboks are pricy; they range from $140-$750. Real designer hanboks start at $1,100.

World-class designers such as Dior, Prada, and Armani draw inspiration for their designs from hanboks.

 

It is a Korean tradition to have a grand celebration for the 1st birthday of your child. This photograph was taken from my first birthday celebration. I recently watched my video recordings from that day. They consisted of me crying, while being dressed into the hanbok, and of me sleeping, while everyone sang happy birthday and my parents cut the birthday cake. It's perplexing to know it all happened and have none of it recalled to memory. 

 

Color is everything when it comes to hanboks. The colors an individual wore used to carry important implications such as class and age; red signified fortune and wealth. 

 

 

Very few people know, but I used to fan dance. I was an assistant fan dance teacher for young girls last year. 

This third dress has so many subtleties. There is a light mint layer beneath the emerald green top layer. Also, there are tints of red/purple on the green. The dress has a mesh of different colors. To add, there is a subtle flower pattern that can be seen in the right hand picture. 

Left: Traditional dress shoes / Right: Traditional Korean Fan Dance shoes

Thanks so much for reading.
Another thank you to Diana for the beautiful photographs!

Happy New Year, everyone!