Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Where is the first place you would want to visit? Why where they bury the dead, of course!

It seems that no matter where I travel in the world, I am fascinated with the burial of remains. Obviously, the world is fascinated with cemetaries. One of the greatest wonders of the world...the pyamids of Egypt is the benchmark for how the wealthy are buried. They are one of the societies that wanted to take it all with them, after all, when they came back from the dead, they could very well be poor.

So, in Daegu, South Korea...I had to go to Bullo-dong Tomb Park. The name alone fascinated me. A tomb park? Not a cemetary, but a park with ancient tombs.

A brief history about Bullo-dong Tomb Park...the cemetary was constructed in about the 5th or 6th century. The status of the person buried in these parks are determined by the size of the mounds. The bigger the mound, the higher the status of the deceased. The Tomb park contains 211 tombs and is carefully maintained to preserve the original shape and ancient appearance.

















Preserving the memory of the deceased is intensely celebrated here in South Korea. 10 days are set aside throughout the year to pay respect for their ancestors. It has been stated that a deceased family member's spirit is said to stay with the family for four generations.


I have to admit, there was a part of me that wanted a pile of snow...a pair of skis...and I imagined myself having a little fun. Then again, I might just do that...a nice thought anyway.

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