An echo to the past

It is not an everyday sight to see the traditional Korean dress worn. This trio was getting ready to take the stage during the Cheongdo Bull fighting festival.

Their uniform appearance took away from their individuality, with only the colors of their long billowing skirts giving them any hint of identity.

As they took the stage to entertain the crowd they did not have to compete for attention, with all eyes focused on them. The conservative dress that simply seemed to glorify all that is woman, retaining a mystery, showing a side that declares less is not always more.

As they began to sing with the unfamiliar music to my Western ears, I thought about how difficult it can be for cultural traditions to survive. Even now, as the world gets smaller and you see one culture bleed into another. Somehow it is comforting to see older arts survive outside influences .

Fighting the Bull about Korean Bullfighting at Cheongdo

When I told a friend of mine that I was going to watch bull fighting in Korea, I got the "No thanks! I puked my guts out when I went to a bull fight in Spain." What is controversial about bullfighting in Latin Cultures is totally absent from the bull fighting contests in South Korea. I had made an earlier posting about attending this cultural event that is an annual event in Cheongdo, South Korea. I had heard stories that were akin to dog fights, complete with gratuitous violence. There was even some outcry about boycotting this event from some of our expatriate community members. I took all of this into consideration. I weighed it out. If what was said was true, I had to go because it would totally oppose my view of Korean culture as peaceful and incredible respectful of life. It didn't matter what anyone thought, I am here in Korean to take in as much as I can while I am a guest in this country.

I am very happy to report that some of the reports that I had read had to be written by individuals who had only heard these 'foreign folk tales' and failed to see the beauty of this contest. They obviously never went and only reported hearsay accounts, overlaid their own prejudices to discredit this event.
I saw the handlers treat the animals with a respect that was returned by the animal. These matches are matches of the beast's strength. There is a reason these contests have endured for over one thousand years...they are indeed entertaining and have the spirit of sportsmanship. The oxen are valued creatures in the rural communities, and for their livestock to be mistreated for brutality sake would be viewed by Koreans as incredible waste.

A match is started by the handlers (trainers) guiding the bulls towards each other with a single rope. When the bulls are engaged the rope is disengaged. The match is immediately ended when a bull retreats. What this equates to is little more than a shoving match, where the most violent episode occurs with the initial contact of the bulls meeting each other with force and locking horns.

I invite you to watch the video, which took forever to upload. You will hear not a blood thirsty crowd, but laughter and you will see respect for the display of power of these magnificent animals. Perhaps these kinds of contests would be far better than the sheer slaughter of the Latin bull fighting rings we see in the west. There is no sport to watching the slaughter of animals.

I continue to be amazed at what I find here in Korea...and glad to debunk all of the nay-sayers. Never believe anything that is by word of mouth or through established rumour mills. When in doubt, always check it out for yourself. There will always be someone who says you shouldn't do something or go somewhere. Follow your own path.

Bullfighting...in Korea??

For over 1000 years there has been a tradition of bull-fighting in the Gyeongsangbuk-do province of South Korea. That tradition continues in an annual festival that runs from 27 - 31 March 2009 in Cheongdo-gun that will pit Korean teams against Japanese teams.

I myself, don't know quite what to make of this event. If it will be a larger version of pit bulls fighting each other since it is beast against beast...but was actually amazed to even see something like this, just 45 minutes south of Daegu.

I decided to attend this event for many reasons...it is part of South Korea's history...and it quite honestly is a bit shocking to me, and finally not a lot of people are even aware that this event even occurs. I have met ex-patriots that have been here for years who never realized that bullfighting was a celebrated event.

The Cheong Du Bullfighting Festival at the Sossaum (Bullfighting) Stadium, will have over 100 bulls in the competition, and though they describe this event as a sport, there are reports of bulls given soju prior to 'fighting' in the ring. Disturbing, perhaps, but most certainly this is an aspect that should still be explored...that conflicts with a passive view that most might have about Korean culture.