Namsangol Traditional Korean Village in Seoul

With additional free time during Seol Nal, I was also able to visit Namsangol. It is a traditional Korean village situated near the center of Seoul.

As luck would have it, huge lacey snow flakes were falling down the afternoon we decided to attend. I was a bit hesitant to hang out outside in the snow all day, but it ended up making the village even more enjoyable. The snow made everything look beautiful!

When we arrived we spent a decent amount of time playing traditional Korean games. It is funny to see people of all different sizes, shapes, and nationalities test their skills! Some games require athleticism where others require coordination and concentration-some were purely luck!! My favorites were:

-A game that was similar to a see-saw in which two people stand at opposite
ends. Rather than just bouncing back and forth you jump on your side in an
attempt to send the other person air-bound. It was pretty funny to watch.

-A circular hoop which you were supposed to roll alongside of you using a
stick


-A game in which you attempt to throw arrows into a thin tube…

-A game in which four wooden sticks are thrown and pieces are advanced on
a board. I'm convinced our Korean friend made the rules up as we went!



-There were also games that were similar to spinning a top and hacky sack

It was truly interesting to see the similarities and differences in
games/pastimes.

After playing games a while we took a ride on “sitting ice skates”. This is a piece of wood that has two blades on the bottom of it. You sit on the wood and pull yourself along the frozen ice by digging picks into the ice and pulling…it was a bit complicated, but fun.



Throughout the day we heard various musical performances-some were simply vocal and there was an extremely impressive drum performance.

To my delight I was able to try on a Hanbok, which is a traditional Korean dress.
We had a lot of fun playing dress up! We were also able to observe various Korean art forms while sampling rice wine.



It was a great day and I look forward to visiting Namsangol again when it is
warmer!