Seoul Lantern Festival

Last updated

Seoul Lantern Festival
biccorong,makes jeongyeong-1.jpg
Seoul Lantern Festival
Genre Exhibition
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s) Seoul
Years active15
Inaugurated2009
Most recent19 December 2022 – 24 January 2023
Attendance1.3 million (2022)
Patron(s) Seoul Tourism Organization
Website stolantern.com

The Seoul Lantern Festival is a festival held every winter in Seoul in South Korea. It includes lanterns, outdoor light installations, christmas market, experience programs.

Contents

This event used to take place about two weeks in November at Cheonggyecheon stream, but since 2022 it started to take place more than a month in December at Gwanghwamun Plaza.

History

The Seoul Lantern Festival started in 2009. [1] The two-week festival starts on the Friday of the first week in November and covers downtown Seoul in sparkling lights, illuminating the city at night during the early winter. Visitors can encounter various types of lanterns from Cheonggye Plaza to Supyo Bridge (1.2 kilometers). [2]

Program

Seoul Lantern Festival offers different concepts of festival every year.

2009

The first Seoul Lantern Festival celebrated the 'Visit Korea Year 2010 to 2012' for 5 days. The festival had four themes that were related to 'ryu' Korean.

2010

The second Seoul Lantern Festival drew 2.3 million visitors, including about 370,000 foreign tourists. [4] The festival's paper lanterns were from 24 countries including Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Malaysia. The festival was originally planned for 10 days, but public pressure, largely from the foreign tourists, convinced the organisers to extend the festival by seven additional days. [5]

2011

Seoul Lantern Festival in 2011 2011 Seoul lantern festival - 334.jpg
Seoul Lantern Festival in 2011

The main theme of the 2011 festival was 'The History of Seoul by Lanterns' (alternately, '…Told with Light'; literally 'An Old Story of Seoul with Lantern'). [7] Lantern art was used to tell the history of Korea from the Joseon Dynasty through modern times, with special attention to the stories told for Children. [8]

2012

Seoul Lantern Festival in 2012 Seoul Lantern Festival 2012 8.jpg
Seoul Lantern Festival in 2012

'The Roots of Seoul, the Life of Ancestors'. [9] was the theme for 2012, once again running a total of 17 days [10] with lanterns illuminated from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM. [11] Highlighting the design, colour and exotic atmosphere created by lanterns, the overall display extended to over 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) [12] and included over 35,000 lights from around Korea (including Suncheon, Namwon, Uiryeong, Inje, Yeongju and Yeongwol, among others [13] ) as well as Japan, the Philippines and Singapore. [14]

2013

Prayer wheels at the festival in 2013 Seoul Lantern Festival 2013.jpg
Prayer wheels at the festival in 2013

This fifth Seoul Lantern Festival opened on 1 November to 11 November [16] with a main theme of 'Millennial dream of Hanseong Baekje'. [17] During this festival, visitors could make hanji lanterns, watch musical performances and enjoy other entertainments [18] and events along Cheonggye Plaza and other Seoul sites. [19] A modern lantern in the form of a falcon symbolized the lionhearted Baekje, [19] one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and an opening musical performance and parade was based on the life of Geunchogo of Baekje who oversaw the apex of that kingdom. [20]

2014

Seoul Lantern Festival 2014 Seoul Lantern Festival 2014.jpg
Seoul Lantern Festival 2014

The Seoul Lantern Festival changed its Korean name in 2014 to the Seoul Bitchorong Festival, but there was no change to the name in English. According to the organizing committee, it has changed the Korean name because the festival has expanded to be a combination of traditional lanterns and modern lights like LEDs. [22] It has opened from Cheonggye Plaza to Supyogyo(Bridge) about 1.2 km and displayed about 30,000 light bulbs and about 300 lanterns of 58 lantern light arts. Moreover, the wish tree that is displayed at Kwangtong Bridge was 8 m high and it contained the wishes of Seoul citizens and foreign visitors. [23] As a result, about 3.14 million visitors enjoyed the Seoul Lantern Festival 2014. [24] The total visitors rate has increased 25% from the year before. [24] The largest number of visitors enjoyed the Seoul Lantern Festival 2014. [25]

Total foreign visitors are about 630,000 and this rate has increased 16% from the year before.

2015

Dragons in the festival in 2015 Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival in 2015-Dragons.jpg
Dragons in the festival in 2015

2022

2022 Seoul Lantern Festival Big Bunny meindeung(daehyeongtoggideung).jpg
2022 Seoul Lantern Festival Big Bunny

Location

Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggye Plaza~Cheonggyecheon Stream, Seoul Plaza

By subway

Criticism

The Seoul Lantern Festival was organized just in time to celebrate the 'Visit Korea Year 2010 to 2012'. [27] It was decided to hold the Seoul Lantern Festival annually, and in response the city of Jinju criticized the festival severely. They said that the Seoul Lantern Festival was a copy of their Jinju Namgang Yudeng Festival, [28] which itself is annual and had begun earlier, in 2000. [29] It had been started in that year as a public requiem, and also as an occasion for a Korean prayer rite in honour of about 70,000 soldiers and civilians who had died in the historic second battle at Jinju Castle in 1593. [30] More than 20 Jinju associations asked for the Seoul Lantern Festival to be discontinued. There was a one-man protest in front of the Seoul city hall and an assembly at the Seoul station. [31] As a result, the city of Seoul and the city of Jinju agreed to change the Korean name of the Seoul Lantern Festival, and thus differentiated the Seoul Lantern Festival from the Jinju Namgang Yudeng Festival. [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Han River (Korea)</span> River in South Korea

The Han River or Hangang is a major river in South Korea, with some of its tributaries and drainage basin in North Korea. It is the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Yalu ("Amnok"), Tumen ("Tuman"), and Nakdong rivers. The river begins as two smaller rivers in the eastern mountains of the Korean peninsula, which then converge near Seoul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N Seoul Tower</span> Tower atop Namsan in South Korea

The N Seoul Tower, officially the YTN Seoul Tower and commonly known as Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, South Korea. The 236-meter (774 ft)-tall tower marks the second highest point in Seoul and is considered a local landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jinju</span> Municipal City in Yeongnam, South Korea

Jinju is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War. The Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Command is located in the eastern part of the city. There are cultural-historical tourist attractions in Jinju such as Jinju Fortress, the Jinju National Museum, and the Nam-gang Prehistoric Site Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jongno</span> Street in Seoul, South Korea

Jongno or Jong-ro is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sejong Center</span> Art center in Seoul, South Korea

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (Korean: 세종문화회관) is the largest arts and cultural complex in Seoul, South Korea. It has an interior area of 53,202m². It is situated in the center of the capital, on Sejongno, a main road that cuts through the capital city of the Joseon Dynasty. The center took 4 years to complete, opening in 1978. It was "built as a cultural center for Seoulites". It currently contains one of the biggest pipe organs in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sejongno</span> Street in Seoul, South Korea

Sejongno (Korean: 세종로), also known as Sejong-daero, is a street that runs through Jongno-gu in downtown Seoul. It is named after King Sejong the Great of Joseon. The street is 600 meters in length, but due to its central location it is of great symbolic importance. It points north to Gwanaksan and Bukhansan (Mountains), and the Joseon Dynasty palace, Gyeongbokgung. It is also of historical significance as the location for royal administrative buildings and features statues of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Joseon Dynasty and King Sejong the Great of Joseon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwanghwamun station</span>

Gwanghwamun Station (Korean: 광화문역) is a station on the Seoul Subway Line 5 in South Korea. It is not the closest subway station to the actual gate of Gwanghwamun, which it is named after. It is located next to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheonggyecheon</span> River in South Korea

Cheonggyecheon is a 10.9-kilometre-long (6.8 mi) stream and public space in downtown Seoul, South Korea. A natural stream sourced from the Suseongdong Valley in Inwangsan, it was historically maintained as part of Seoul's early sewerage until the mid-20th century, when post-Korean War rapid economic development and deteriorating conditions prompted the filling of the stream with concrete and the construction of an elevated freeway, the Cheonggye Expressway, in its place. In 2003, the city government began an urban renewal project to disassemble the expressway and restore the stream, which was completed in 2005 at a cost of over ₩386 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in South Korea</span>

The tourism industry in South Korea caters to both foreign and domestic tourists. In 2012, 11.1 million foreign tourists visited South Korea, making it the 20th most visited country in the world, and the 5th most visited in Asia. Most non-Korean tourists come from other parts of East Asia such as Japan, mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The recent popularity of Korean popular culture, often known as the "Korean Wave", in these countries has increased tourist arrivals. Seoul is the principal tourist destination for visitors; popular tourist destinations outside of Seoul include the major coastal city of Busan, the Seorak-san national park, the historic city of Gyeongju and subtropical Jeju Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jongno District</span> Autonomous district in Sudogwon, South Korea

Jongno District is a district in central Seoul, South Korea. It is the historic center of Seoul, and contains the Joseon-era royal palace Gyeongbokgung and the former presidential residence, the Blue House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwanghwamun</span> Main gate of the Korean royal palace

Gwanghwamun is the main and largest gate of Gyeongbok Palace, in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is located at a three-way intersection at the northern end of Sejongno. As a landmark and symbol of Seoul's long history as the capital city during the Joseon Dynasty, the gate has gone through multiple periods of destruction and disrepair. The most recent large-scale restoration work on the gate was finished and it was opened to the public on August 15, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoul Plaza</span>

Seoul Plaza is a central plaza located in front of Seoul City Hall at Taepyeongno, Jung-gu in Seoul, South Korea. It was reopened on 1 May 2004, by Seoul Metropolitan Government, with the purpose of providing the public an open space. It is part of the city's plans for environmentally friendly renovation projects such as the Cheonggye Stream and Gwanghwamun Plaza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoul Street Art Festival</span>

Seoul Street Arts Festival is the largest street arts festival in Korea providing high-standard street performances which mainly combined popularity and artistry. It is opened to public all over Seoul with no charge. Starting from 2003 with its original name, ‘Hi Seoul Festival’, it established itself as a festival specialized in street art in 2013. From 2016, it changed its name to <Seoul Street Arts Festival> to consolidate its identity. The festival works as an art market by helping the selected pieces to be distributed and to be expanded into local and international art festivals. Now, it is becoming a street arts festival which represents Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoul</span> Capital of South Korea

Seoul, officially Seoul Special City, serves as the capital of South Korea, and is its most extensive urban center. The broader Seoul Capital Area, encompassing Gyeonggi province and Incheon metropolitan city, emerged as the world's fourth largest metropolitan economy in 2014, trailing only Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles, hosting more than half of South Korea's population. Although Seoul's population peaked at slightly over 10 million, it has gradually decreased since 2014, standing at approximately 9.97 million residents as of 2020. Seoul is the seat of the South Korean government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwanghwamun Plaza</span> Public square in Seoul, South Korea

Gwanghwamun Square is a public square on Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Serving as a public space and at times road for centuries of Korean history, it is also historically significant as the location of royal administrative buildings, known as Yukjo-geori or Street of Six Ministries; and features statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Joseon Dynasty and King Sejong the Great of Joseon.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Seoul, South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoul Queer Culture Festival</span> Korean LGBT festival

Seoul Queer Culture Festival, formerly Korea Queer Culture Festival, is an annual modern Korean festival, whose theme is LGBT rights. It includes a pride parade and film festival events. The festival lasts for a week or two, and usually takes place in late May to early June. As it was the only queer culture festival in Korea until 2009, when Daegu Queer Culture Festival began, it was also commonly called Korea Queer Festival or Queer Culture Festival.

The Korea Drama Awards is an awards ceremony for excellence in television in South Korea. It was established in 2007, and is held annually in October in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province as the official main event of the annual Korea Drama Festival. The eligibility period is October of the previous year to September of the current year. Nominees are chosen from Korean dramas that aired on the three major broadcasting networks and cable channels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Seoul</span> Historic and social center of Seoul, South Korea

The Downtown Seoul is traditional city center and central business district of Seoul, located through Gwanghwamun of Jongno District and Seoul Station of Jung District. For its time-honored and unique geographic status in Seoul, the Downtown is usually just called as 'The Central Business District (CBD)', or somteimes as 'Gwanghwamun Business District (GBD)' for outstanding landmark 'Gwanghwamun' at the heart of it.

References

  1. "Seoul Lantern Festival has started". No Cut News.
  2. "Seoul Lantern Festival 2015". The Official Seoul City Tourism.
  3. "Visitors at Seoul Lantern Festival". Newsis. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  4. "Result for the Seoul Lantern Festival 2010". Etnews. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  5. "Seoul Lantern Festival will be until 21st November". Asiae. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  6. "Seoul Lantern Festival 2010 has opened". Newsis. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Seoul Lantern Festival with history and story". Newis. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  8. "Fall of Seoul, it lights with sparkling lights from the Seoul Lantern Festival". AjuNews. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  9. "Seoul Lantern Festival lights in an autumn night". Etoday. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  10. "Lantern lights in the night of Cheonggyecheon". Asiae. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  11. "Over 35,000 lanterns light the night of Seoul". Kyeongin News. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  12. "35,000 lights of Chyeonggyecheon". Yonhap News. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  13. "Seoul Lantern Festival 2012". Nocut News. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  14. "Enjoy the lantern light of the Cheonggyecheon". Newdaily. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  15. "Seoul Lantern Festival 2012 will open on 2nd of November". Green Post Korea. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  16. "A day before opening of Seoul Lantern Festival 2013". Segye News. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  17. "History of Baekje 700 years is at the Seoul Lantern Festival 2013". Maeil Business Newspaper. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  18. Cha, Yoonjoo (31 October 2013). "Seoul Lantern Festival 2013 will open tomorrow". New 1.
  19. 1 2 Jang, Sookyeong (31 October 2013). "History of Baekje came alive on Cheonggye Plaza". News cj. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  20. Cha, Yoonjoo (31 October 2013). "Seoul Lantern Festival 2013 will open tomorrow". New 1.
  21. "Seoul Lantern Festival will open on 1st November". etoday. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  22. Seo, Minji (7 November 2014). "What is Seoul Lantern Festival?". The Fact.
  23. Kim, Nana (7 November 2014). "Seoul Lantern Festival has opened". KBS.
  24. 1 2 Yang, Sengjin (26 November 2014). "More than 3 million visitors at Seoul Lantern Festival 2014". Asiatoday.
  25. Yang, Sengjin (26 November 2014). "More than 310 million visitors at Seoul Lantern Festival 2014". Asiatoday.
  26. Hwang, Soojung (7 November 2014). "4 themes in Seoul Lantern Festival 2014. Enjoy the festival!". Newspim.
  27. Cho, Soojung (14 November 2009). "Crowded at the Seoul Lantern Festival". Newsis.
  28. Lee, Donghoon (1 November 2013). "Seoul Lantern Festival has opened, the strong blacklash from city Jinju". MBN.
  29. Lee, Woongho (25 September 2013). "Jinju Namgang Yudeng Festival and Seoul Lantern Festival". knnews.
  30. "Jinju Namgang Yudeng Festival Webpage".
  31. Song, Bongjoon (26 August 2013). "Seoul Lantern Festival will start as the planned, city Jinju criticized it". NocutNews.
  32. Kim, Jonghyun (1 November 2013). "City Seoul and city Jinju resolved a conflict". idomin.