Zany and Workplace (This week's Photo Hunt themes)

 

 

 

Imagine working in a place where sacred poles with grinning faces are described (at least in English, if not the native language) as scared poles.  Now picture that same place as being one where people pretend to be punished -- tortured even -- like in olden days for fun!  And if such a workplace weren't already zany enough, consider that some of its employees wear colorful costumes and twirl around with abandon for a living!!   

It may seem "everyday" to those who work there because, well, they see things like this every day at their workplace. But the Korean Folk Village in Yongin City that my mother and I visited on our 2009 trip to South Korea definitely struck me as having its share of zany elements. 

At the same time though, it's also true enough that this place that I've chosen to highlight in this week's entry for Sandi's and Gattina's Photo Hunts actually has a more serious side.  Established in 1973 and attracting approximately 1.8 million visitors each year, it's actually billed as an outdoor folk museum rather than mere amusement park.

Among the things my mother and I really appreciated on our visit to this cultural facility was how big was the space it occupied (660,000 square meters) and, also, that the majority of the more 260 buildings on view in the Korean Folk Village are actual village buildings that were relocated to it (rather than new replicas).  We also very much liked that a number of the buildings were "occupied" by people going about producing traditional handicrafts such as weaving and pottery.  

Still, I think our most fun memories of the Korean Folk Village center around the folk performances of dances and equestrian feats, and also a colorful re-enactment of a traditional Korean wedding -- by seemingly the same team of performers.  So imagine dancing, doing such as shooting arrows while riding on a horse, standing up and bouncing about while the horse gallops around, and "getting married" at work daily... Now that's a pretty zany way to make a living by my book! ;O