We rarely look up at the night sky to see the moon anymore. City lights are so bright that they overwhelm the gentle, silvery moonlight. Besides a super moon or lunar eclipse, people forget the moon is even there. But in the old days, people were always cognizant off the moon. They counted the months and years by how the moon waxed and waned. In many cultures, the moon symbolized life and abundance because of the way it always returns to its full self after disappearing completely. The life cycles of the moon, and the way it glows at night, continue to inspire poems and songs to present day. One such song, which we’re going to play for you today, is Woljeongmyeong 월정명, a piece about rowing a boat under the bright, moonlit night. It is translated as follows

I row a boat on the autumnal river under the shining moon.

The sky is in the water, at the center of the sky is the bright moon.

Seondong 선동, scoop up the submerged moon so that I can enjoy it. 

*Seondong: young servant in fairyland

Today’s rendition of Woljeongmyeong 월정명 is sung by Kim Wol-ha 김월하.

Music 1: Woljeongmyeong/ Sung by Kim Wol-ha

MC: In agricultural societies of the past, the moon was the beginning and end of harvest. That means that a year’s farming began on the first full moon of the year, followed by various festivities wishing for an abundant harvest in the fall. When the Chuseok Thanksgiving holiday comes around in autumn, Koreans ended the year’s farming activities and thanked the gods and their ancestors for looking after them. In the old days, when all things in nature were thought to be comprised of two opposing energy forces, yin and yang, the sun represented yang and men, while the moon stood for yin and women. On traditional holidays featuring full moons, like the Lunar New Year and Chuseok, Korean women used to celebrate by dancing in big circles. This wasn’t just for entertainment, but also a ceremony wishing for prosperity. The reason women dance around in circles is to convey the fullness of the moon. This performance, called Ganggangsullae 강강술래, is combined with other plays mainly acted out by men, such as roof tile treading or threading herrings. Today, we’ll listen to Ganggangsullae 강강술래 sung by the students of Namwon Traditional Arts High School. 

Music 2:  Ganggangsullae/ Sung by the students of Namwon Traditional Arts High School

MC: With the Chuseok Thanksgiving holiday coming up next Monday, Koreans are busy shopping for holiday presents and preparing food for family and their ancestors. It is a great joy to see loved ones but also quite costly because holiday preparation requires a lot of time and money. Thus, many Koreans probably hope for a miracle, like Heungbo’s 흥보 magical gourd filled with money and jewels. In the traditional storytelling art of pansori, there is a narrative called “Heungboga 흥보가”. The main protagonist, Heungbo 흥보and his family were so poor that they had nothing to eat for the holidays. Desperate to feed his children, Heungbo decided to open up a gourd and make porridge with it. But, when he opened the gourd, lo and behold, he found a large chest filled with money and rice. What’s more amazing was that the gourd filled up just as fast as Heungbo took out the treasure. Exhausted from the ecstasy of seeing all the wonderful riches, Heungbo started singing a song urging poor and miserable people to come and see him so that he can share his newfound wealth. He didn’t forget about his difficult past and tried to find a way to share his good fortune with his neighbors. In a way, it was his generosity and kind heart that brought him such great rewards. 

We hope you have a very happy Chuseok like Heungbo’s family and we will wrap up this week’s Sounds of Korea with a passage from “Heungboga” pansori where Heungbo first begins to open the gourd. The aria is sung by master singer Park Cho-wol.

Music 3: Passage from pansori “Heungboga”/ Sung by Park Cho-wol