Hahoe Mask Village
Trip Start
Sep 28, 2010
1
2
6
Trip End
Oct 01, 2011
Hahoe-ri, North Gyeongsang, Korea Rep.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
We arrived at the outer village, which was a newly built area with a museum, restaurants and trinket shops built to look like the historic area and alleviate some of the tourist pressure during the busy summer months. We then took a 10-minute walk along the river to the main village. The river walk was very tranquil and serene with the fall colors lining the riverbank and signs of harvesting in the many rice fields woven around the thatched and tiled roof houses. Along the way we encountered a large school group that had made masks in the village and were very eager to show them off and their English skills to us obvious foreign tourists.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the village you could feel the antiquity and old world charm radiating from the structures. Our tour guide explained to us that the houses here were unique because as opposed to Korean tradition they were not all built to face south. Instead they were built to face the river as it curved a not too gentle arc around the town. As a result the houses of Hahoe face outward, all radiating from the center of town. Small narrow streets bordered by short ancient clay and rock walls mirrored this pattern. Many of the houses in the village had beautifully tiled roofs and the exterior walls were built using old replaced roof tiles. We visited several of the houses and in one of them we went in and made pottery (chopshi). Our guide explained to us that Hahoe village was famous for masks and the masked dances performed here. Unfortunately we were unable to see the dances performed but we were treated to seeing the masks and carved wooden statues of many different designs and characters. The main streets were lined with beautiful trees and the houses had many trees in their yards, but along a curving side path in a small courtyard on the hill in the center of town was a very magnificent tree. This tree was six hundred years old and called Samsindang because it is thought to embody the goddess Samsin. Many others and we made wishes in the hopes that the goddess would grant them.
We left the village with our purchased masks, puppets and other trinkets and also a feeling of peace and hope for a future full of many preserved and cherished traditions from all around the world. We all felt that the long journey was worth it.
