And the beat goes on, and on, and on, and on...

In the last two weeks in Korea I’ve been given two days off work for national holidays. Two Mondays, much like the bank holidays in England. However, these are slightly different; they actually have purposes other than excuses to go on a Sunday night and sink beers. (Although they are also used for that purpose here too)

The first holiday was Monday 15th February, to celebrate Lunar New Year. In ancient Korean tradition the calendar is dictated by the moon, and so it seems silly not to have another New Year’s party.

Although not a holiday, on the 28th February I bore witness to a procession marching through the city. Men in traditional costumes played various drums. Sadly they all seemed to play the same 10 second beat over and over and over and over and over, but they were followed by a 200 strong army of regularly dressed civilians, all bearing torches. Torches that were swung, waved and given all manners of movements that had the westerner in me thinking lawsuit, get a claim in.

Thankfully there were no burns, and no claims. This was simply to celebrate the first full moon of the lunar year. There were also no werewolves; I would imagine all the switching of calendars left them all rather confused. (Note to poor Easter European countries, where these sort of things still exist)

On March 1st came another holiday. This time the day is to mark a series of demonstrations that took place in 1919. They were protests against the tyrannical Japanese rule. The Japanese responded to this slanderous taunt that they might be iron fisted, by slaughtering 7000 Koreans. It truly is one of the last modern horrors that go unreported.

Now this isn’t simply a history lesson. In fact I know all this, not because I went to the labour intensive efforts of researching all this, but because I asked Koreans, and all the Koreans I asked knew all the minute details; even the youngest children.
Tradition is part of the culture here, so much so that it’s taught in schools. Children know how ancient musical instruments are played, what holidays mean what and how to howl in delirium, just like their parents, at terrible Korean slapstick comedy.



One wonders how many British children know what a carnyx is, or that the dates of Bank Holidays are connected to traditional village cricket fixtures, although a great number of children still laugh at terrible TV slapstick comedy like My Family, just like their parents. Bad taste is universal, it would seem.



It brings a sense of belonging. It took Britain and England years to wrestle their flags back from racists like the BNP, but why were they not under public ownership in the first place? Children in Korea are brought up to be proud of their flag and their customs. At times it may be to the detriment of flexibility in attitude towards new customs, but that is a small cost for national pride. Not racist, not bigoted, not superior, just simple patriotism. That could go a long way to taking groups like the BNP out of the equation in Britain.

However, some traditions are simply too baffling for even me to promote. In Dorset cider growers partake in an ancient ritual at the beginning of the apple growing season. They go out to their orchids at midnight, and on the trees’ branches, women put pieces of toast soaked in cider; this in order to ward off evil spirits. The thoughts of said evil spirits are hard to imagine.



Mmmm, tasty apple trees for me to destroy. Mmmm yes, destroy them I shall. Wait a minute ... what is this? Toast on trees? .... soaked in cider? .... and it’s been placed here by women! AHHHH My kryptonite. I am doomed, no more tree destroying for me, AHHHH!