Korean+culture

Korea National Flag "Tae Guk Gi"

The four trigrams originates in the chinese book I Ching, representing the four Chinese philosophical ideas about the universe: harmony, symmetry, balance, circulation. The general design of the flag also derives from traditional use of the tricolor symbol by Koreans starting from the early era of Korean history. The white background symbolizes "cleanliness of the people." The taegeuk represents the origin of all things in the universe; holding the two principles of "Yin", the negative aspect rendered in blue, and "Yang", the positive aspect rendered in red, in perfect balance. Together, they represent a continuous movement within infinity, the two merging as one.

Hanbok (Korean traditional clothes)

Hanbok is the traditional Korean dress. It is often characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. Although the term literally means "Korean clothing", hanbok today often refers specifically to Joseon Dynasty-style semi-formal or formal wear that is worn during traditional festivals or celebrations.

Yutnori is a traditional board game played in Korea, especially during Korean New Year. Its origins are unclear, but there is ample evidence that yut was played at the time of the Three Kingdoms (57 BCE - 668 CE). The board and the game are known to have been used in fortune telling, particularly in mountain areas and small farming villages, but this is no longer practiced. The sticks are cast in order to determine how far a token can be advanced. The score is determined by counting the sticks which are over, and those which are up. Each combination has its own name. If one stick is over (flat side up) and three sticks are up (round side up) this is called //do// (pig). Two sticks up and two sticks over is called //gae// (dog). One stick up and three sticks over is called //geol// (sheep). All sticks over is called //yut// (cow), whereas all sticks up is called //mo// (horse). A //do// is worth one point, a //gae// is worth two points, a //geol// is worth 3 points, //yut// is worth 4 points, and //mo// is worth 5 points.

The game is played between two partners or two teams who play in turns. Yut is a popular family game. There is no limit in the number of participants in a game, which means that the game can be played by a considerable group. When played with large groups it is not uncommon for some group members never to cast the sticks: they still participate discussing the strategy. The start of the game is determined by each team casting the yut sticks. The team with the highest score starts first. Each team then casts the sticks in turn. A player achieving a //yut// or //mo// is allowed to cast again. There is no limit to the number of times a player can cast again before the end of a turn, provided he or she keeps casting //yuts// or //mos//. The respective scores can be played separately if wished. Each team moves a mal according to the score achieved. If a mal lands on a station occupied by the opponent's team, the opponent's mal is removed from the course and returned to the starting position, and the current player is allowed to cast again. If a mal lands on a station occupied by the own team, these mals can travel together from that point on (counting as one). However, if an opponent lands their mal on a station occupied by several mals of the opponent, all these are removed from the course. The mals travel around the board and can move forward only. However, when landing on one of the big stations (in the corner and the centre), the team can choose to take the shorter way should they wish to. There are four possible courses. The game is won by the team who bring all their mals home first, that is complete the course with all their mals. A course is completed if a mal reaches the station where the game is started. Yut is often played for three or more wins.