Okay guys, sorry for waiting so long to see the update post in my blog.. Now, I really excited to write this blog again. AND NOW WITH PROUDLY, I'LL PRESENT my favourite culture above this world, and the luckiest one is SOUTH KOREA
The current political separation of
North and
South Korea has resulted in divergence in modern Korean cultures; nevertheless, the traditional
culture of Korea is historically shared by both states, and is more than 5000 years old and is considered one of the world's oldest.
DANCE
As with music, there is a distinction between court dance and folk dance. Common court dances are
jeongjaemu (정재무) performed at banquets, and
ilmu (일무), performed at Korean Confucian rituals.
Jeongjaemu is divided into native dances (향악정재,
hyangak jeongjae) and forms imported from Central Asia and China (당악정재,
dangak jeongjae).
Ilmu are divided into civil dance (문무,
munmu) and military dance (무무,
mumu). Many mask dramas and mask dances are performed in many regional areas of Korea.
The traditional clothing is the genja, it is a special kind of dress that women wear on festivals.
Traditional choreography of court dances is reflected in many contemporary productions.
PAINTING
The earliest paintings found on the
Korean peninsula are
petroglyphs of prehistoric times. With the arrival of
Buddhism from
India via
China, different techniques were introduced. These techniques quickly established themselves as the mainstream techniques, but indigenous techniques still survived.
There is a tendency towards naturalism with subjects such as realistic landscapes, flowers and birds being particularly popular. Ink is the most common material used, and it is painted on mulberry paper or
silk.
In the 18th century indigenous techniques were advanced, particularly in calligraphy and seal engraving.
Arts are both influenced by tradition and realism in
North Korea. For example, Han’s near-photographic "Break Time at the Ironworks" shows muscular men dripping with sweat and drinking water from tin cups at a sweltering foundry.
Jeong Son’s "Peak Chonnyo of Mount Kumgang" is a classical Korean landscape of towering cliffs shrouded by mists.
HOMES
Sites of residence are traditionally selected using traditional
geomancy. Although geomancy had been a vital part of Korean culture and
Korean Shamanism since prehistoric times, geomancy was later re-introduced by China during the Three Kingdoms period of Korea.
A house should be built against a hill and face south to receive as much sunlight as possible. This orientation is still preferred in modern Korea. Geomancy also influences the shape of the building, the direction it faces and the material it is built of.
Traditional Korean houses can be structured into an inner wing (안채,
anchae) and an outer wing (사랑채,
sarangchae). The individual layout largely depends on the region and the wealth of the family. Whereas aristocrats used the outer wing for receptions, poorer people kept cattle in the
sarangchae. The wealthier a family, the larger the house. However, it was forbidden to any family except for the king to have a residence of more than 99
kan. A
kan is the distance between two pillars used in traditional houses.
The inner wing normally consisted of a living room, a kitchen and a wooden-floored central hall. More rooms may be attached to this. Poorer farmers would not have any outer wing. Floor heating (온돌,
ondol) has been used in Korea since prehistoric times. The main building materials are
wood,
clay,
tile,
stone, and
thatch. Because wood and clay were the most common materials used in the past not many old buildings have survived into present times. Today, however, people live in apartments and more modernized houses.
CLOTHING
See also
List of Korean clothing. The traditional dress known as
hanbok (한복, 韓服) (known as
joseonot [조선복] in the
DPRK) has been worn since ancient times. The
hanbok consists of a shirt (
jeogori) and a skirt (
baji). The traditional hat is called
gwanmo and special meaning is attached to this piece of clothing.
According to social status, Koreans used to dress differently, making clothing an important mark of social rank. Impressive, but sometimes cumbersome, costumes were worn by the ruling class and the royal family. These upper classes also used jewelry to distance themselves from the ordinary people. A traditional item of jewelry for women was a pendant in the shape of certain elements of nature which was made of precious gemstones, to which a tassel of silk was connected.
Common people were often restricted to un-dyed plain clothes. This everyday dress underwent relatively few changes during the Joseon period. The basic everyday dress was shared by everyone, but distinctions were drawn in official and ceremonial clothes.
During the winter people wore cotton-wadded dresses. Fur was also common. Because ordinary people normally wore pure white undyed materials, the people were sometimes referred to as the
white-clad people.
Hanbok are classified according to their purposes: everyday dress, ceremonial dress and special dress. Ceremonial dresses are worn on formal occasions, including a child's first birthday (
doljanchi), a wedding or a funeral. Special dresses are made for purposes such as shamans, officials.
Today the
hanbok is still worn during formal occasions. The everyday use of the dress, however, has been lost. However, elderly still dress in hanbok as well as active estates of the remnant of aristocratic families from the Joseon Dynasty.
Cuisine
Rice is the
staple food of Korea. Having been an almost exclusively agricultural country until recently, the essential recipes in Korea are shaped by this experience. The main crops in Korea are rice,
barley, and
beans, but many supplementary crops are used.
Fish and other
seafood are also important because Korea is a peninsula.
Fermented recipes were also developed in early times. These include
pickled fish and pickled vegetables. This kind of food provides essential
proteins and
vitamins during the winter.
A number of menus have been developed. These can be divided into ceremonial foods and ritual foods. Ceremonial foods are used when a child reaches 100 days, at the first birthday, at a wedding ceremony, and the sixtieth birthday. Ritual foods are used at funerals, at ancestral rites, shaman's offerings and as temple food.
A distinguishing characteristic of Temple Food is that it does not use the common five strong-flavoured ingredients of
Korean cuisine--(
garlic,
spring onion, wild
rocambole,
leek, and
ginger), and meat.
Kimchi is one of the famous foods of Korea. Kimchi is pickled vegetables which contain vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, iron, calcium, carotene, etc. There are many types of kimchi including cabbage kimchi, string onion kimchi, cucumber kimchi, radish kimchi, and sesame kimchi.
For ceremonies and rituals
rice cakes are vital. The colouring of the food and the ingredients of the recipes are matched with a balance of
yin and yang.
Today,
surasang (traditional
court cuisine) is available to the whole population. In the past vegetable dishes were essential, but meat consumption has increased. Traditional dishes include
ssambap,
bulgogi,
sinseollo,
kimchi,
bibimbap, and
gujeolpan.
Festivals of the lunar calendar
The traditional
Korean calendar was based on the
lunisolar calendar. Dates are calculated from Korea's
meridian, and observances and festivals are rooted in Korean culture. The
Korean lunar calendar is divided into 24 turning points (절기,
jeolgi), each lasting about 15 days. The lunar calendar was the timetable for the agrarian society in the past, but is vanishing in the modern Korean lifestyle.
The
Gregorian calendar was officially adopted in 1895, but traditional holidays and
age reckoning are still based on the old calendar.
Older generations still celebrate their birthdays according to the lunar calendar.
The biggest festival in Korea today is Seollal (the traditional
Korean New Year). Other important festivals include
Daeboreum (the first full moon),
Dano (spring festival), and
Chuseok (harvest festival).
There are also a number of regional festivals, celebrated according to the lunar calendar. See also
Public holidays in North Korea and
Public holidays in South Korea.