Fibre in Foodstuffs Good for Health

Historical Origin and Characteristic Feature of Folk Dance “Pongjuk Dance”

Pongjuk is made in a ring-shaped pad and put it on the top of a long bamboo stick which is over twice the height of a man. The end of it is decorated with dozens of long pheasant feathers. Then, hang with 8~12 strips of long cloth. Five-colored string or white cloth was used as Pongjuk strip. Thin and fluttering cloth like silk or ramie cloth was used.

Pongjuk plays were held on the occasion of lunar January 15th and other folk holidays, hoping that they would harvest a bumper crop and catch a lot of fishes all year round. The conspicuous thing in the plays is the " Pongjuk Dance" reflecting the minds of fishermen who wanted or celebrated a good haul of fish.

The Pongjuk play on the lunar January 15th took place on a sandy beach. In the early evening, when the musical instruments were played, the people in the fishing villages in their holiday clothes came together. When people got together, cantor jumped into the middle of the dance court with the Pongjuk stick in the center and boasted the "Pongjuk tune".

The clear voice of the cantor was followed by the people, and the fishermen danced cheerfully. When the song and dance plays were going on, young fishermen gathered around the Pongjuk stick in the middle of the dance court, took the Pongjuk strips and danced to add to the atmosphere of the play. The “Pongjuk Dance” means that fishermen dance, taking the Pongjuk strips in their hands and throwing them.

Dancers, at first, dance to the tunes for an exorcism in a fascinating way. When the speed of music is increased with frequent tunes for an exorcism, they dance, gradually throwing the Pongjuk strips vigorously and moving around in a circle.

Then when the tune is turned into the rhythm of Korean folk-songs, dancers bend deep down and jump up, throwing the Pongjuk strips higher or move around turning in pairs, and giving a zest to the play. When the music is getting quicker with quick rhythm, dancers jump and dance by leaps and bounds vigorously, reflecting the strong will of the fishermen.

"Samdongdong Shoulder Dance" with Distinctive Dance Rhythm

“Samdongdong Shoulder Dance” is a folk dance created and widely danced in the people’s lives in Songchon area of Phyongan Province. This area is well known for its many famous specialities such as Songchon Tobacco and Songchon Chestnut and many other cheerful dances such as “Samdongdong Shoulder Dance” and “Songchon Weaving Dance”.

“Samdongdong Shoulder Dance” was found out in villages in the Piryu River basin. Dancing was performed at the scenes of merrymaking praying the successful agricultural labour in the folk holiday, or at the religious ceremonies including a ritual praying for rain.

The dance tunes played at the dancing parties of folk plays are more exciting because they reflect not only the agricultural working life but also the emotion of affection and mundane life of young people who are cultivating this land in succession to their parents. What is characteristic of the dancing place is the dance movements performed by moving the wrists, elbows and shoulders in sequence.

Samdongdong is also called from the dance movements that emphasize the rhythm by the triplicate movement of the arms. Movements of an arm are performed by moving both arms simultaneously, or one by one alternately, and by standing face to face, or standing back to back, or making one rotation.

Peculiar Cultural Heritage of the Korean Nation – Korean Costume Customs

The custom of Korean costume has been continuously carried forward and developed as part of our people’s life.

Korean costume has been well known to the world for its unique form and beauty.

From ancient times to modern times, the Korean costume has fully possessed its own appearance as the national costume without losing its traditional nature, but it has also made its development by making its sub-structures more beautiful and changing to various forms in conformity with the times.

Among them, the Korean Chima (skirt) and jogori (coat) worn by women are well suited to the physical features of the Korean women as well as they are diverse in variety and noble in colour according to seasonal differences.

The main materials of clothing are natural fibers such as silk, ramie cloth, wool, and cotton.

From olden times our people have not only made their national costumes in elegant and beautiful ways, but also attached deep meaning to them.

When a baby celebrated its first birthday, their parents served them a birthday spread and dressed them in a rainbow-striped garment with blessing for their children.

A bride and a bridegroom, when they got married, exchanged clothing provided by the desire for mutual respect, love and happiness, and made their national clothes with them.

And it was a noble ethic for filial generations to prepare national clothes on the 60th birthday of parents, hoping for respect and good health.

As mentioned above, the custom of Korean costume reflecting the emotions and feelings of our people are distinguished among the excellent cultural heritages created by our ancestors, and Korean clothing are well known to the world for its unique form and peculiar beauty.

Chief of Volunteer Army and Diplomatist – Samyongdang

Samyongdang is a chief of volunteer army and diplomatist of Buddhist priest origin during the Imjin Patriotic War. Samyongdang became a Buddhist priest in his childhood and a disciple of the Saint Sosan, and gained a reputation of the Buddhist priest who had mastered the doctrine of Zen sect of Buddhism.

When the Imjin Patriotic War broke out and a group of aggressor troops led by an officer of the Japanese army invaded the temples including Yujom Temple in Mt. Kumgang and perpetrated arson and plunder, Samyongdang went directly into the enemy camp and strongly demanded the enemy commander not to bring about casualties recklessly from the standpoint of the believer in Buddhism. Afterwards, when the Saint Sosan called upon the Buddhist priests of all parts of the country to rise up in a battle against the Japanese invaders, Samyongdang, in active response to him, formed a volunteers’ unit with more than 700 Buddhist priests, armed them with weapons in the military warehouse of the Kosong Town, and rushed to Pophung Temple in Sunan county, Phyongan Province.

At that time, though the Saint Sosan, his teacher, was appointed as a general officer of the priest volunteers’ army, he was too old to assume the position. So Samyongdang actually commanded the army as a vice general.

From the spring of 1594, Samyongdang, who was a highly literate, strategical, bold and patriotic man, went into the enemy camp several times to carry out the reconnaissance activities, and negotiations of reconciliation as a spokesman for the Korean army camp.

He condemned the arrogant aggression of the enemy by his skillful diplomatic activities and dispersed the enemy forces by taking advantage of the contradictions between enemy commanders, driving them into a tight corner.

Samyongdang, though he was a Buddhist priest important, made a great contribution to the victory in the Imjin Patriotic War as a volunteer commander and a diplomatic activist. So he also has been well known by the name of the Saint Songun in later ages.

First-aid Treatment for Burn at Home

People are often confused when they get burned. First of all, cool the burned area calmly.

When a child’s soft skin is exposed to hot water, do not make undue haste to take his/her clothes off, cool the burned area before everything else, and slowly undress the clothes calmly so that the burned area could not feel pain. If the child wears a tight clothes, you should not take them off but cut them with scissors.

Then, apply wet laver to the wound. Then there will be no scar left after the wound is cured. Wet laver is also effective in relieving pain.

When severely burned, it is good to apply several layers of wet lavers. If you are not content with one treatment, apply on it once more on the next day.