| People enjoying Halloween parties in costume. (Photo: Ashlee Anne) |
Some Koreans may be familiar with Halloween, an annual holiday on October 31 that commonly includes activities such as trick-or-treating, costume parties, or carving jack-o'-lanterns. It is also one of the most popular holidays in Western culture along with Christmas, Thanksgiving Day, and Easter.
Although in Korea, many students are often introduced to Halloween in English schools as a part of English learning programs, it has become popular in the last couple of years regardless of age. A number of restaurants, bars, and organizations prepared events and activities for those who wanted to enjoy the night in costume.
| Ghost parade held in the Myeongdong district (Photo: Yonhap News) |
This year, most parties were held on October 29, since October 31 is a Monday.
At the Han River close to Yeoeuinaru Station, a Boat Cruise Halloween Party was held from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on October 29. The party was divided into three times each including free drinks with food for prices ranging from 28,000 to 35,000 won.
Each boat cruised the Han River accommodating various costumes including Super Mario characters, zombies, and Korean ghosts such as Cheonyeoguisin. One of the attendees from the U.S. said, “Having a Halloween party is always fun, yet this year, it's more interesting as I can ride a boat on Han River and enjoy the night view of Seoul and pretty lights on all the bridges.”
| People enjoying Halloween parties in costume. (Photo: Ashlee Anne) |
On the same day, the 2011 Itaewon Global Festival started in the Itaewon district. Marking its tenth year, the festival opened with various cultural performances and food from all around the world. During the night, a number of party people with costumes paraded through the streets.
In the Hongdae district, several live music clubs had Halloween parties, including Spot, FF, Freebird, and Sapiens 7. Club Spot offered a discount for anyone dressed in a costume. Musicians also dressed up, such as Burning Hepburn who wore Guy Fawkes masks, and foreigner band Black Leather Lagoon which featured the members dressed in drag. Parades ran through the streets, and the party raged all night in Hongdae Playground, where bands played and revelers could take the Andong Soju Taste Challenge, sampling traditionally brewed Andong Soju and regular Chamisul soju and choosing their favorite. Popular costumes included zombies and famous movie characters.
| People enjoying Halloween parties in costume. (Photo: Jon Dunbar) |
More events and programs will be held on October 31, Halloween Day. The amusement park Lotte World is holding a Happy Halloween Party with jack-o'-lanterns. The whole space will be decorated with a pumpkin theme featuring carved jack-o'-lanterns along with a special ride, the Halloween Tram Car.
Seoul Land also has prepared various events for Halloween Day. One event is a treasure-hunting game for children called ‘Find a Ghost Ball.’ There will also be costumes that visitors can try on. Everland is holding the Happy Halloween & Horror Night festival until October 31. It has built a ghost house and village for visitors to experience Halloween horrors.
Some cable channels will air special horror films and TV shows on Halloween day including the 2006 Korean horror film Cinderella, The Possession of David O'Reilly, and the CSI Psychopathy special.
By Jessica Seoyoung Choi
Korea.net Staff Writer
