Valuable Spirit Inherited from Our Ancestors

Traditional Korean games across generations

By reporter Lee Yu-mi

leeyumi91@hanmail.net

In the past, our ancestors formed a place of communication with neighbors and fostered ethnicity and team sprit by playing traditional Korean games. However, we are cut off from communication with our neighbors, and the lessons we can learn from traditional Korean games have lost their powers because computer games and TV shows have replaced the old ones. Therefore, it is necessary to examine how our ancestors spent their pastime and what traditional Korean games imply. Through this article, you will learn about some traditional Korean games with instructive meaning. Instead of the most well-known and commonly-played games such as yutnori and neolttwigi, you will find out unfamiliar traditional Korean games.

To begin with, it is necessary to know why traditional Korean games are very important to us. As traditional society dissolves, traditional Korean games naturally disappear and lose their breath. However, despite the current situation, it is important not to forget the life lessons we can learn from traditional Korean games. Our ancestors reflected their customs relevant to agrarian society in traditional Korean games. Therefore, we get a sense of their wisdom by playing Korean games, whose ideas are based on the memorial ceremonies, rituals, and other ceremonies related to their living. Because traditional Korean games consist of the nation’s own cultural elements as well, we can build stronger ethnicity. Also, there were many parts requiring teamwork and people could bond one another and do various activities in cooperation, while now most people have few connection or communication with neighbors. We have to know very well and inherit these lessons that we can find in traditional Korean games. Following in this article are four traditional Korean games which have been handed down typically in several regions.

The First game to introduce is “Gamnage Gejuldanggigi,” which is a kind of tug of war. It was played in Gamnae on the day of the first full moon of the lunar year. It is said that many crabs have been caught from the past at Gamcheonbyeon, the riverside in Gamnae. People wanted to take a better place for crab fishing, and they came to be ungenerous fighting each other. Therefore, the residents thought of playing this game to win a better position, and this is how this game was originated. Unlike the common shape of the rope for tug of war, the one used for this game has one round crab-shaped rope in the center and hung around it is a couple of gyeotjul, which is like a side rope. After hanging the gyeotjul around the neck, people keep crawling on the ground. Then, the team which brings more of the ropes to their side within the certain time wins the game. It is considered that Gamnae Gejuldanggigi is an ingenious game created for the people to recognize the importance of cooperation and harmony and to finish their conflicts.

Another traditional Korean game is “Gangreung Sacheon Hapyeong Dapgyo-nolri,” which has been handed down for a long time in Gangreung. With the people’s wish for a good harvest across the riverside Sacheoncheon between the villages named Jinri and Hapyeong, this game was played to foresee if the year’s harvest would be good or bad by playing darigut, dolssaum, hweatbulssaum and daribalgi. Gangreung Sacheon Hapyeong Dapgyonori begins with darigut and the next is soejeolgeum. Soejeolgeun is competition of pung-mul rhythm of the leading gong-players, and each nongak band from the two villages Jinri and Hapyeong plays this game by stepping on bridge. Then, people play dossaum and hwaetbulssaum, which are kinds of mock fights with stone missiles. When all this finishes, they play dapgyonori, and it is said that they do not have diseases on their legs during the year stepping on the bridge. This game is held each year in Gangneung on the sixth day of the second month of the lunar calendar.

Next is “Youngmanori.” The word ‘yongma’ means ‘a swift horse’ and this game was played in Namwon, Jeollabuk-do to keep the town from disasters and to foresee if the harvest would be successful on the day of the first full moon of the lunar year. It is also called “Yongmahee” or “Yongmajeon.” To prepare the game, people divide into two teams of south and north before the first full moon of the lunar year. Each team makes a large youngma, draw a pattern of dragon in it, and paint it with five colors. The south team makes a yellow dragon and the north has a blue dragon. Strong young men wearing on a mask put the Yongma on their shoulders and compete for victory. People believed that it would be a rich year in farming if the south wins and the year will have a bad crop if the north wins. Nowadays, people only march along the streets at Chungyang Festival, which is annually held in Namwon at the end of April or the beginning of May.

The last one to talk about is “Seonyu Julbulnori,” which indicates playing a string of firecrackers in boating. To play game, people fill many bags with charcoal powder and hang them on the line widespread in the air. When they are on fire, people enjoy the magnificent view with the sparks flying high above and falling down. This is similar to today’s fireworks. It is said that this game was handed down in the tradition of enjoying boating as a game by yangban, high-class Korean men from the past. This game is significant in the way it represents a precious cultural heritage in the current situation when the tradition of enjoying boating has been cut off and it is hard to confirm the existence of juilbulnori, one of the optional games of boating. It is held each year at Andong Mask Dance Festival at the end of September or the beginning of October.

Discussed so far are traditional Korean games, but they are just a few of all. Besides the games above, there is a great variety of traditional Korean games handed down in each region of Korea. It will be meaningful to have more interests in the origins of traditional Korean games and the lessons within, play the games, and take what you can engrave deep in your mind. From now on, try not to forget about traditional Korean games, which make a part of our precious cultural heritages, and find out the lessons and treasure them in mind.