Traditions & history
Festivals, rites, crafts and defining eras: the handed-down gestures and periods that shaped three cultures.
Japan
Awa Odori
"The dancers are fools, the watchers too: so you might as well dance". The refrain that opens four August nights.
Namahage
On 31 December, masked ogres enter homes to ask whether any idlers remain.
Nebuta Matsuri
For six August nights, washi-paper warrior floats cross Aomori to the beat of drums.
Arita porcelain
The first Japanese porcelain, later copied by Meissen and Delft.
72 Microseasons (Shichijūni Kō)
Traditional Japanese division of the year into 72 five-day periods, each describing a natural phenomenon.
Chanoyu (Tea Ceremony)
Japanese tea ceremony. Ritualized art of preparing and serving matcha, expression of wabi-sabi.
Furoshiki
Japanese art of cloth wrapping. Traditional folding technique for wrapping and carrying objects.
Sakoku
Japan's isolation policy (1633-1853). Closed to foreign exchange for over two centuries.
Hanami
Ancient Japanese tradition of viewing cherry blossoms (sakura) in spring, generally from late March to early May depending on the region.
China
Harbin Ice Festival
A whole city rebuilt from ice blocks lit from within, then melted in spring.
Jingdezhen porcelain
The town that took a thousand years to perfect blue and white, and seventy-two steps for one cup.
Chinese Calligraphy (Shufa)
Art of writing Chinese characters with brush.
Gongfu Tea Ceremony
Chinese tea ceremony. Art of preparing and tasting tea with care and mastery.
Hongbao (Red Envelopes)
Chinese tradition of red envelopes containing money, given during New Year and weddings.
Peking Opera
Traditional Chinese performing art combining singing, dialogue, acrobatics and martial arts.
Chinese Paper Cutting (Jianzhi)
Chinese folk art of paper cutting. Traditional decorations for New Year and weddings.
Silk Road
Network of trade routes linking China to the Mediterranean (2nd c.
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)
The largest traditional Chinese festival, celebrating the start of the lunar calendar and marking the arrival of Chinese New Year.
Korea
The haenyeo of Jeju
Free divers who go down ten metres without tanks, many of them past seventy.
The Jikji
The oldest book printed with movable metal type, seventy-eight years before Gutenberg.
The Bangudae Petroglyphs
Three hundred figures carved in rock, including the oldest known whale-hunting scenes.
The Gwangju Uprising
Five days in May 1980 when one city held out alone against the army, commemorated every year.
Korean Shamanism (Muism)
Traditional Korean religion practiced by mudang (shamans).
Jesa (Ancestral Rites)
Korean ancestor veneration rites. Memorial ceremonies held on death anniversaries.
Pansori
Traditional Korean narrative singing. Epic art combining singing, storytelling and percussion.
Samulnori
Traditional Korean percussion. Ensemble of four instruments symbolizing nature's elements.
Talchum
Traditional Korean mask dance. Satirical performances criticizing society and elites.
Chuseok
Major Korean harvest festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, usually in September or October.