Home > 게시판
The cultural festival was thoughtfully scheduled well before the five-day Chuseok long weekend, which runs from Sept. 14-18 this year, including Chuseok Day on Sept. 17. This timing was intended to avoid the mass exodus from Seoul that typically occurs during the holiday. We were also fortunate with the weather, enjoying a gentle autumn breeze amidst what has been the worst heat wave ever recorded in the country.
The sequence of the special cultural evening events held inside the American military community arranged by the Eighth Army was, I noticed, beguilingly organized by reflecting Korea’s traditional customs, folklore legacies and heritage to the best of my knowledge.
Approximately 250 military and local civilian guests in formal Korean or American ceremonial attire were gathered in the three enlarged banquet rooms, named Rose, Sunflower and Lavender, on the second floor of the Morning Calm Center. Many American participants were colonels and some were master sergeants, seemingly who are assigned to different units under the command of LaNeve.
Aside from fancy-looking full military uniforms, some participants wore traditional colorful Korean ceremonial attire (hanbok), irrespective of Americans or Koreans. Among them, Mrs. LaNeve worn "dangeui" (a jade-green, royal-wear robe of a lady) on which a golden dragon is attached with tied red-color (for a woman whose husband is alive) coat strings, and the outstanding costume marked her out as the queen of the ceremony, with whom I took a snap. Asan City Mayor Park Gyeong-gwi and his wife also wore hanbok alike, and the mayor’s full dress received much attention from participants, because he was the only male who wore the eye-feasting white hanbok.
Among the food and beverages offered, even "soojeonggwa" (fruit punch made of honey, dried persimmons, pine nuts and cinnamon), "songpyeon" (rice cakes) and "yakbap" (rice desserts) were included to stimulate the appetites of guests.
I was wondering whether family names like LaNeve and LaCamera would originate from France or Spain. Gen. LaNeve kindly taught me the right origin from Italy, as I learned from him during social hours.
Optional games including "tuho" (pitch-pot) let sport-loving participants to enjoy good occasions to experience the original taste and fragrance of traditional Korean games. The seven-man Eighth Army rock band featured musical performances to celebrate Chuseok and entertain guests.
I would like to extend my appreciation to soldiers and families of the Eighth Army to their gracious hospitality and friendly welcome to the gorgeous Chuseok cultural ceremony at the garrison aside from their disciplined role and duties of a regional safeguard for local people. The strong bond and over 74-year-long inheritance for the versatile ties between the Eighth Army and Koreans have been ordained by fate. Blessed and long lives for all of us!
The writer (wkexim@naver.com) is a freelance columnist living in Seoul.
