Bright Night Lights in Jinju

People who have been following my blog may have noticed by now that Korea has many festivals throughout the year. As a foreigner, I think it's a great thing. I can learn more about the country's culture and history at these events, and I also get to see some cool art, displays, etc. The Jinju Lantern Festival highlights familiar Korean cultural references and can also tell a story about important events in Korea. All of the lantern sculptures are placed near or on the Namgang River, a significant area in Korean history. This river is significant because a war between the Koreans and Japanese took place here. Even though this was a last minute trip, the festival was a great experience. I was impressed with what artists were able to make using paint, paper, and plastic!

This is the entrance leading into the main area of the festival.

Here is the lantern sculpture depicting the Korean soldiers defending their land from Japanese invasion.

This photo was taken from one of the two main bridges that cross the Namgang River.

One of the wishing tunnels that was made during the festival. People put their wishes in the lantern and hang then on the wire frames. While the sentiment was great, I couldn't get over their music selection....

I was glad to get some video of the bamboo forest. All of the pictures I took turned out blurry, so it was nice to get some video. The lanterns and landscape were amazing, and this area is also accompanied by some "interesting" choice of music.