These lovely ladies were playing at a ceremony just around the corner from my apartment. There was some sort of official hoopla or other going on but I honestly don’t know what it was. I asked in my best, most polite Korean what was happening, but the women running the place spoke too rapidly and used vocabulary with which I was unfamiliar. So too, was the music, dancing, its purpose or any underlying symbolism there might have been. Of course, that adds to the mystery and adventure of it all, but sometimes I wish I weren’t in the dark all the time.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed their performance. I only caught the last few minutes of it. I heard the drums from my apartment for nearly 30 minutes before I realized it wasn’t some distant hammering but an actual drumbeat. I love the bright colors they wear. The paper hats are cute, too.