Early in December, on the recommendation of one of the Korean teachers at my school, I took a trip to the lovely city of Jinju, South Korea, in order to see a very famous lantern festival that happens there every winter.
When we first arrived, I have to say I was quite impressed by the city of Jinju as a whole. The Namgang Yudeung festival (often referred to in English as just the Lantern Festival) is a very popular event and is attended by Koreans and foreigners alike.
It is clear the city is accustomed to hosting thousands of visitors every year, as we found Jinju quite easy to navigate. The people were very friendly and we found another information guide similiar to the one we found at the Jeonju Hanok Village - which made planning the day that much easier.
We did learn that because of the pandemic this was the first time in two years that the festival would be held. So our timing was perfect.
The Namgang Yudeung Festival in Jinju commemorates the time when the Korean army floated Yudeung (oil lanterns) on the Nam River to prevent the Japanese army from crossing it. It also shows how the soldiers communicated with their families outside of the fortress during the Imjinwaeran, the Japanese invasion.
Because it had been a few years since the festival had taken place, there was some conflicting information online about the time the festival started.
All we really knew about the Yugeung Fesitval was that it would take place at the Jinjuseong Fortress - but not until later in the evening. So we decided it would be a good idea to go to the fortress first thing and get the lay of the land before returning in the evening for the show.
The fortress ended up being much bigger than we had anticipated. There were several miles of walking trails, multiple buildings and pavilions, and various tents set up for local artists to display their work.
Our first stop inside the fortress was the Chokseongnu Pavilion. It's listed as one of the three most famous pavilions in Korea, and between the view and its impressive history, I can definitely see why.
Interesting point - this was the first pavilion I've visited where I had to take off my shoes before entering. I loved the repect given to a national treasure, but my toes got cold SO fast. It definielty serves the scondary purpose of keeping guests from lingering too long.
Next we walked around to view some of the lanterns in their pre-sunset glory.
We quickly realized this was not just a quick 30 min loop and then done. There were literally THOUSANDS of lanterns set up all throughout the grounds of the fortress. From larger than life, wire-frame lanterns on the lawn, to tunnels that surrounded you with color, this was so much more than we had anticipated.
And that's not even counting the floating water lanters on the river or all of the lantern displays set up around, next to, and even across the river from the fortress. I think the river itself had over 60 floating lanter sets.
It took us much longer than anticipated to walk around the fortress, and I was quite hungry from all the walking, so we headed to lunch nearby. Personally, I like picking a resturant from the street and just hoping for the best. I feel like it's the most authentic way to eat locally, you know?
Sometimes that plan backfires, but sometimes, as evidenced below, it works out beautifully.
We ate lunch rather late, so by the time we were finished, it was close to 5 pm, and sunset was fast approaching. We had planned to walk to an observatory located on the other side of the fortress from where we ate lunch. But it was about a 2-mile walk, one-way, and we REALLY didn't want to miss the lanterns when they started to light up. We wanted to make sure we were well-stationed for some of the places we definielty wanted to see. And the crowds were only getting larger as the evening progressed.
So, reluctantly, we decided to head back to the fortress and just hang out until sundown. It was really a shame we didn't get to see more of Jinju while we were there, but again, it's just another reason to visit in the future.
But once the sun did set, all our waiting was entirely worth it.
The whole fortress and surrounding areas were transformed into an explosion of light, color, and fantasy.
It was the opening night of the festival and, as can sometimes happen at these events, there was about a 30 min delay getting all the lanterns turned on. It was a rather unfortunate turn of events for us as the departure time for our return trip was fast approaching. We had a rather rushed time getting to all the different displays we wanted to see, and we had to skip some altogether.
Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled by the outcome and atmosphere of it all, I just wish we would have been able to explore at a more relaxed pace.
I managed to grab this photo from a nearby bridge as we were leaving.
From the fortress on the hill, to the floating lanterns on the river, to the extra displays set up across the river - Korea just doesn't do things halfway. It was truly a spectacular display of light - and a wonderful commemoration of Korean history - blended together in perfect harmony.
As far as winter activities go in Korea, this one ranks right at the top for me.
Now.
On to the next adventure!
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