Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Olympians, visitors celebrate Lunar New Year's holiday at PyeongChang Olympics

평창에서 보내는 설,... 설연휴 위해 선수, 기자, 관중 위해 다양한 행사 마련돼

The Lunar New Year, or Seollal, is overlapping with the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, so the athletes, reporters and even spectators in the host cities of Pyeongchang and Gangneung ... took time out to celebrate the holiday.

Lee Ji-won shows us how they spent Seol there.

At the Korea House in Gangneung Olympic Park, a traditional ritual was held on the morning of Seol for athletes and officials who were not able to spend the holiday with their families.

Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan and the President of the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee, Lee Ki-heung, were in attendance as well as Team Korea's lugers, who represented the athletes,... as the rest are busy preparing for or competing in their events.

It's the first time such a ceremony has been held during the Winter Olympics.

"I'm the eldest son, so I should be in charge of these rituals at home, but I haven't been able to for the past few years due to my training. Spending the Lunar New Year like this makes me feel better and reminds me of my family as well."

While most know the traditions like the back of their hand,... for others,... the ceremony is a brand new experience.

"I was a little bit nervous before because it was my first time to celebrate Seollal. And indeed to take part in it was still a little bit different but it was a good experience."

The ritual was also laid on for reporters and volunteers working at the Olympics during the holiday.

Together with Gangwon-do Province Governor Choi Moon-soon, Koreans at the Gangwon Media Center in Gangneung greeted their ancestors.

"And at a lot of festivals and events in the area,... including the Gangneung Traditional Culture and Play Experience, visitors can also enjoy Korea's traditional games and get a firsthand feel for the Lunar New Year."

From the traditional board game Yutnori,... to the simpler tuho or pitch-pot and jaegichagi or hacky sack,... the games spark cheers, screams and groans from the players.

In another corner, booths offer handicraft activities,... including paper flower making, so visitors from overseas can take part of their Korean experience back home with them.

"I think it's interesting for the foreign spectators who come to the Olympic Games because it seems to be a part of Korean tradition, like the calligraphy which we don't know very much in Germany."

The events are in line with Korea's efforts to make the PyeongChang Winter Olympics a "culture Olympics,"... and the timing of the Seollal holiday provided the organizers with the perfect opportunity to show international visitors a slice of the country's traditional culture.

And for Koreans, it made their Olympic experience all the more unforgettable.

Lee Ji-won, Arirang News, Gangneung.

Arirang News Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangtvnews

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