Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival

Okay folks, so it's been a week since my last post but I have a valid excuse.  My Momma and Gramma are in Korea and I've spent the last few days with them in Busan and Seoul!  I'll save our adventures for another day.  But for now, I need to catch you up on the Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival, which I attended the first weekend in October.  While Jinju is a small, remote city, it holds enormous historical significance because it was the site of an important battle during the Imjin War.

In October 1592, Korean and Japanese soldiers fought a bloody battle in Jinju.  During this battle, locals flew lanterns in the sky and floated them on the Namsang River to communicate with soldiers outside of the fortress.  For over 60 years, the town of Jinju has commemorated the spirits of the 70,000 lost soldiers by floating lanterns on the river.  Since 2000, the city has continued the tradition and expanded this custom into a full-fledged festival that attracts thousands of visitors every year.  I read so many amazing things online about the festival; I knew I had to attend.

So on Saturday, October 11th, I taxied it over to the Express Bus Terminal on the other side of Daejeon to make the 1:30pm bus.  Anticipating that this would be a popular route, I arrived over an hour in advance.  But much to my dismay, I learned that the next 2 buses were sold out and I'd have to wait for the 3:30pm bus.  Cue anger and frustration.  But eventually, I made it to Jinju and I'm so happy that I did.  I made it just as the sun was going down and it was an unbelievable sight.  Just imagine - over 50,000 beautifully constructed lanterns glistening in the darkness.

And these weren't just your run-of-the-mill paper lanterns, they were incredible works of art; many of which were larger than me!  I especially loved the reenactment of the battle scene, which included a gigantic fortress and lantern soldiers surrounding the wall.  There were so many people in attendance.  I was literally pushing people out of the way to get a better look at the lanterns on the river.  Along the way, I saw several amusing Konglish signs and even made my own wishing lantern!

WORLD PEACE!

Eventually, we found an opening in the crowd and waited anxiously the festival to begin.  At precisely 8pm, the gigantic lanterns on the water lit up and a spectacular fireworks show began.  Objectively, it was one of the most impressive fireworks displays that I've ever seen.  The designs were super intricate and visually stunning.  But I was more amused by the reactions of the Koreans standing next to me.  Echos of "Ooooohs" and "Wahhhhs" filled the air and I couldn't help but share in their excitement.  Here are some pictures and a short video clip of the fireworks show.

After the fireworks ended, I got to admire all the amazing lanterns on the water.  There were at least 50 of them, spread out all over the river.  Frankly, it was a lot to take in.  So many vibrant colors and creative designs.  I was in awe and spent the next hour, trying to soak it all in.  Seriously, photos cannot do it justice. 

Then, I made my way over to a floating platform to release my wishing lantern.  There, an employee was waiting to light the candle and gently place my lantern on the water.  It was really beautiful to see all the glowing lights on the river.  That is, until one of them caught on fire.  Considering I'm still here to tell about it, let's assume that it all worked out okay.

The next day, we woke up and went to Jinju Fortress, located on the other side of the river.  It was awesome to see all the lanterns in the daylight and truly appreciate the expert craftsmanship.  Okay, so the term "fortress" is misleading.  More accurately, it's a sprawling barricade wall that was built to protect the city from intruders.  Anyway, there were even more lanterns scattered around the inner fortress area! 

As we made our way up the fortress wall, we got an even better view of the river and all the lanterns on the water.  They really did an amazing job with this event.  Not a single detail went unnoticed.  They even placed lantern soldiers at the South gate to protect the fortress.

As we continued on, the lanterns got even more intricate and impressive.  Here are some of my favorites!  The lanterns are apparently very multifaceted.  They can carry a member of royalty, perform acrobatics, play see-saw, arm-wrestle, and make traditional garments out of silk.

The incredible sights kept on coming.   Eventually, we made it to the general's look-out point and got a near aerial view of Namsang River and the city of Jinju.  From there, I saw lanterns resembling Buckingham palace guards, a Spanish matador, the Statue of Liberty, and the Sphinx. 

At the top, there was a Buddhist temple and a display of cannons and weapons.  I took a ton of pictures over the weekend and loved every second of it.  Hey, if the whole lawyer thing doesn't work out, I think I could make a career out of being a travel photographer or blogger.  ^_^

That concludes my 24 hours in Jinju.  One day was all it took but I really enjoyed my time at the Lantern Festival.  It's surely one of those things that I'll always remember about this grant year.  On the bus ride home, there was only one seat left and the man ahead of me quickly scrambled to fill it.  I was left with the tough decision: hang around an hour for the next bus or pop a squat in the middle of the aisle.  Desperate to get home, I opted for the latter and more uncomfortable option.

After a half hour of squeezing in between seats, my legs fell asleep, my back ached, and I was utterly miserable.  As I braced myself for another 90 minutes of hell, two young men came to my rescue.  They offered me a seat and took shifts in the torture chamber, expecting nothing in return.  I was quite moved by this selfless act.  It's comforting to know that even in a place that feels so foreign, kindness is a universal language that can transcend all cultural divides.