Korean Traditions Ring in the Lunar New Year
“Once upon a time” or, as a Korean story teller might have told it, “Back when tigers used to smoke (˳이 담배 우던 싵Ӡ)”, Korean artists painted pictures – “Minhua” – to ward off evil spirits and to invite prosperity. At the same time, up and down the Korean peninsula, people scoured beaches to gather shiny abalone shells which they used to create decorative and functional handicrafts – “Najeonchilgi”.
Both these rich cultural traditions were on show last Friday night during a workshop in celebration of Seollal (Korean Lunar New Year) at Ӱԭ University.
Led by staff from the Korean Cultural Centre in Ottawa, students from Ӱԭ’s vibrant Korean language classes learned how to use abalone shells (also called “Mother of Pearl”) to create their own ornate PopSockets in a show of ancient craft meets new millennium.
In addition to discovering something new about Korean culture, students also really appeared to enjoy the tasty spread of gimbap (Korean sushi) and Tteokbokki that followed.