Korea, North and South

Outdoor Games

Men and boys of all ages fly yeon (or kites), typically from the first to the 15th day of the first lunar month. A game is often played where people try to cut the string of each others' kites by exercising a swinging motion until one of the two strings of another player's kite is severed. Also, at the end of the season, yeon with well wishes, such as “away with evil, welcome good luck,” written on them would be flown and cut loose to take away the year's bad luck.

Jegichagi, mostly played by boys, is a game similar to hackysack, in which a. jegi (or shuttlecock), made of a coin wrapped in feathers and paper or cloth, must be kept in the air using nothing but one's feet. When the jegi hits the ground, the player loses his turn to another.

Neolttwigi, enjoyed mainly by girls and women on the Lunar New Year's day, is similar to seesaw, except that Neolttwigi participants stand on each end of a neol (or board) and then jump in the air, propelling the person opposite into the air. It is believed that women of the noble class used Neolttwigi to help them see over the wall that surrounded their house, as women in old times were rarely allowed out of the living compound, except at night.

Kune, Korean swings, are hung very high, often seven yards or more, in trees or on a tall framework for a single swing. Standing on a board, girls and women swing as high as they can, sometimes alone, and sometimes in pairs. This long rope swinging was enjoyed on Dano and Chusuk (May 5 and August 15 on the lunar calendar).

Korean Sports

Ssireum, Korean-style wrestling, is the oldest Korean traditional sport. It is somewhat similar to Japanese Sumo. To play Ssireum, two wrestlers face each other in a sand-covered ring in the grappling position. They each grab their opponent's Satba (a long sash wrapped around the players' waist and the right thigh). They then rise to a standing position and attempt to force their opponent to touch the ground. Competitions were traditionally held on Dano (May 5 on the lunar calendar) and during the summer and autumn months.

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