AFRAM IN KOREA: [South Korea] Oct 21 2007 ---- Gwangju Kimchi Festival and Gwangju Museum of Art

Kimchi festival was held in the Jungoe Park infront of Gwangju Folk Museum and Gwangju Art Museum.

I went there using bus 16 from GIST and got off at the Culture and Arts centre stop in Unam Dong. This was the last day of the festival and the attendance was huge. There were many stalls where you can eat the food and also buy Kimchi and try some for free. Inside the Folk Museum a new Kimchi Museum is also established for the event which I think will stay there afterwards. The museum displays a variety of Kimchi as well as the ingredients used to prepare the Kimchi including Kimchi plant, garlic plant and ginger plants. I saw the ginger plant for the first time over there. Many other products besides from the Kimchi were also being sold including rice cake, dry grains of different kinds, sea weed, vegetable shredder, stamps etc. A stall at the festival was making the Korean rice cake in a traditional way. It was fun to watch the procedure of making the rice cake and enjoying the freshly cooked rice cake. After that I went to the Art Museum and bought a very cheap ticket (i think 500 won) and visited the newly constructed multi storey museum having around 8 art galleries. After that I went back to the festival and enjoyed some live performance including walking on rope, circus, traditional drummers, dances etc. In the end of the ceremony the mayor of the Gwangju made a closing speech and everybody danced with the friendship rope around the fire. That was one of the best festivals I have attended in the Korea and very pleasant experience.

Attendance at the festival...