Children's Day

The Day of the Children

Back at home, I was always frustrated as a child that we had a Mother's Day, we had a Father's Day but we never had a Children's Day. The power runs the other way in Korea, where not only do they have a Children's Day, but they have just one day for both parents. Poor parents. But, the parents do get a day off work. I got a day off work too, so slowly made my way over to Kumdori Land to enjoy the atmosphere.

I say I slowly made my way because when I was three or four blocks away, the traffic was at a near standstill, so I got out of the taxi and walked the rest of the way. The traffic was so bad that they had the army involved in controlling it. The families of Daejeon all seemed to be converging on my destination. It was the place to be for Children's Day.

Kumdori Land on Children's Day

Kumdori Land is an amusement park located just behind Expo Park. In fact, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Ferris Wheel, visible from afar, wasn't part and parcel of Expo Park. It's a small amusement park, but contains a well balanced collection of rides for the whole family, from the traditional carousel where mothers and babies can ride the horses, to a full blown roller-coaster with two loops and a corkscrew. In addition to the rides, there's also a stage where regular performances keep the crowd entertained.

A Tame Ride

Chidren's Day was in full swing as I arrived in the overflowing parking lot. Kids were bustling around on roller blades, getting their faces painted, running around, sitting on their parent's shoulders or pulling their parents towards the ticket booths. I bought my ticket and entered the park, where despite the heat (it was a perfect day), I was greeted by staff in giant teddy bear costumes. I walked around to get the feel of the place.

The kids all seemed to be having a good time. Stoked up on sugar from all the ice-cream and soda, they were running around with big smiles on their faces. I say running, but that isn't particularly accurate. The vast majority of park attendees were standing in incredibly long lines waiting to go on the most popular rides. I've never been able to understand why people queue for more than thirty minutes for a thirty second ride.

A Wild Ride

The day wore on, and the park got busier, I ran out of memory in my camera and decided it was time to go home. I was certainly in a minority in leaving at around 5 o'clock as there were still more people arriving than leaving.

Talking to my Adult students the next day, it seems that Children's day is not just for children to enjoy, but more importantly a day on which an overworked Korean saleryman can, in good conscience, take a day off work and enjoy his children. I, for one, respect a culture that institutionalises that, how ever unfortunate it is that it need to be officially recognised.

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