On October 27, I visited Jeonju, my hometown.
When I was traveling to Jeonju by bus, it was so nice to enjoy the changing colors in the countryside. Though we had rain the previous night, the weather was getting fine.
I happened to attend a traditional wedding ceremony which was held near Jeonju hyanggyo, the Confucian shrine and school to teach local students.
The location is near Mt. Monks Rock, famous Catholic martyrs' sacred place. The nearby Jeonju Creek was once a river. But now its water flow is almost minimal because of the large-scale reservoir for water supply to Jeonju area inhabitants.
The traditional wedding ceremony had many special attractions to see.
Apart from the traditional costumes and highly complex procedures, the singer sang a celebration song to the accompaniment of a guitar not traditional music instruments.
The bride groom was all smiles when he kissed the cheek of the bride as requested by the singer.
The song was the famous "Love Song" toward Chunhyang of the Korean Chang. Everybody laughed and became happy.
Outside of the wedding hall, the nearby mountains and creek side were beautiful with changing colors of trees and reeds. When I was young, Jeonju Creek was filled with water like a small-size river. In summer after rainfalls, it flowed like flood. Nowadays, the creek is merely a small stream because the waters are held further upstream for the purpose of water supply.
Whenever I visited my hometown, the streets and houses were felt more small-sized one like a miniature park than I used to experience.
This time it seemed to be true except one thing.
The street near my alma mater, the Elementary School affiliated to Jeonju National Teachers University, has turned to a 'Jeonju Montmartre' where the shops display the art gallery posters at the show windows.
Yes, this is the hot place where artists and art lovers get together.
When I was a school boy, as a would-be painter, I walked around the school vicinity with my friends to hunt a suitable location to draw a picture.
I can remember the I drew the whole picture of my elementary school, maybe in the year of 1964.
The school buildings were constructed under the auspices of the U.S. Aid. The school had three classes per grade. So the school buildings had a geometrical array alongside a long corridor. The largest red-colored building was an auditorium.
The streets at Jeonju Hanok Village were crowded by tourists from across the nation.
This area has been preserved as a traditional village where only Korean-style buildings with tile roofs should be constructed and maintained.
But most of them are occupied by merchants selling souvenirs, traditional beverage and food, etc.
Tourists were walking around streets as if they are doing costume play.
All of a sudden, a loud rhythmical music was heard from the other street.
Yes, there was a large group of Nongak speaheaded by a big flag marching to this side of the road. Sightseers, foreign and local, were watching this Korean-style band which used to celebrate a good harvest in autumn.
Then they stopped, made a circle and raised their sound to the utmost.
The streets at Jeonju Hanok Village were crowded by tourists from across the nation.
This area has been preserved as a traditional village where only Korean-style buildings with tile roofs should be constructed and maintained. But most of them are occupied by merchants selling souvenirs, traditional beverage and food, etc.
예로부터 전주는 길거리가 깨끗한 교육도시로 알려져 왔다. 서점이 많고 꽃들도 많이 심어져 있었다. 지금은 한옥마을로, 가톨릭의 성지로 전국에서 아니 세계에서 찾는 사람이 많은 도시가 되었다.
전주는 가톨릭 교도에 대한 신유박해(1801) 때 순교자가 많이 나온 곳이기도 하다. 전동 성당 자리 숲정이에서 수많은 교인들이 신앙을 지키다가 처형되었고, 그 중에는 세계 유례가 없는 유중철(요한)과 이순이(루갈다) 동정부부(童貞夫婦) 순교자도 있었다.*
내가 어렸을 적에 즐겨 올랐던 승암산(僧巖山) 중턱의 십자가가 이들이 묻힌 곳에 세워진 것이었고, 지금은 이들 순교자를 기려서 산 이름을 '치명자산(致命者山)' 또는 '누갈다 산'으로 바꿔 부른다는 것도 뒤늦게 알게 되었다.
* 서양의 유명한 동정부부는 신성로마제국의 하인리히 2세 황제와 구네군다 황후일 것이다. 구네군다(Cunigunde 975~1040) 황후는 하인리히 황제에 이어 1200년에 시성이 되었다. 구네군다 황후는 부정을 의심받게 되자 뜨겁게 달군 철판 위를 걸었다는 것 등이 기적으로 인정되었으며 룩셈부르크의 수호성인이 되었다.
황제가 죽은 후 황후는 수녀원에 들어가 수많은 자선 봉사활동을 하여 존경을 받았다. 독일 밤베르크 대성당에 하인리히 황제와 구네군다 황후의 석관묘가 안치되어 있다.
KTX train arrived at the station just in time.
Without hesitation, the train carried my good old days to the present time.
혼례식 보러 간 고향땅에서
반 백 년 전 내 발자취를 보았네
마음 속 살아있는 그리운 시절의 추억을
At my home town -- Jeonju,
I saw old traditions and my footprints,
Some only in the past, others in present days.
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