Korean festival prelude to centennial
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| College perform a fan dance at the Korean Festival at Kapi'olani Park. Thousands turned out for the event, which included food, art, games and a cultural museum.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser |
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer
Korean culture out-sparkled the sun yesterday at Kapi'olani Park, as thousands congregated around the bandstand for the first Korean Festival.
Joining for a day of Korean singing, dancing, music, food, art, games, customs and stunning costumes, were dignitaries, politicians, and everyday folk from the local multitude of cultures.
But this day was devoted to Hawai'i's long-overlooked Korean population. Intended to be a prelude to next year's big centennial celebration, the occasion turned out to be a gala learning experience in its own right.
That fact seemed a surprise to some.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
"I grew up in Seoul and I left when I was 21," said Honolulu artist Jinja Kim. "I was raised in the city. I wasn't familiar with a lot of the country ways of Korea. So, I'm learning here myself today."
Dancers from Incheon, South Korea, were among the performers during yesterday's Korean-culture festival at Kapi'olani Park.
Meanwhile, festival co-chairman Andre Lee was learning that anything could go wrong on a maiden voyage.
"I'm just running around putting out fires," shouted Lee, as he and assistant Yoon Bok Dong scurried around the edge of the bandstand toting a traditional Korean bride's carriage. "I haven't been to sleep in two days. I'll be 50 when this is over. I was 33."
Worker Ralph Serdinia was just pleased that the festival — 99 years in the making — had finally become a reality.
"They finally got it together," said Serdinia, alluding to the fact that Korean immigrants arrived in Hawai'i in 1903 and had never thrown a festival until now. "But now that they done it, it's turned out to be a really great show."
And so it was.
Naturally, the food tent was a hit. So was the Korean products tent, possibly because it was a cool and breezy place to get away from the direct sun.
Off to one side, the tent also featured a small cultural museum with displays of old photos taken of picture brides, schools and church gatherings from the early 20th century in Hawai'i.
Hyoncha Koga, principal of the Aiea Korean Culture School, displayed numerous examples of Korean accessories from three periods of Korea's history.
"I am really, really happy for non-Koreans to get acquainted with our culture," she said.
For K.C. Look, who says he goes to every festival at Kapi'olani Park, the very best thing at any festival is the children.
"Kids at festivals are good," said Look, as he beamed at a troupe of tiny Korean youngsters giving a tae kwon do demonstration. "Kids dancing, kids singing, kids doing anything."
Reach Will Hoover at 525-8038 or whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.
