The Boryeong Mud Festival is an annual
festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...
which takes place during the summer in
Boryeong
Boryeong (), commonly known as Daecheon, is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea. It lies on the Janghang Line railroad, which connects it to Seoul via the Gyeongbu Line. It is also conne ...
, a town around 200 km south of
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
. The first Mud Festival was staged in 1998 and, by 2007, the festival attracted 2.2 million visitors to Boryeong.
The mud is taken from the Boryeong mud flats, and trucked to the
Daecheon
Boryeong (), commonly known as Daecheon, is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea. It lies on the Janghang Line railroad, which connects it to Seoul via the Gyeongbu Line. It is also conne ...
beach area, where it is used as the centrepiece of the 'Mud Experience Land'.
The mud is considered rich in minerals and used to manufacture cosmetics. The festival was originally conceived as a marketing vehicle for Boryeong mud cosmetics.
Although the festival takes place over a period of around two weeks, it is most famous for its final weekend, which is popular with Korea's western population. The final weekend of the festival is normally on the second weekend in July.
History
In 1997 a range of cosmetics was produced using mud from the Boryeong mud flats. The clothes were said to be full of minerals, bentonites, and germaniums, all of which occur naturally in the mud from the area.
In order to promote these cosmetics, the Boryeong Mud Festival was conceived. Through this festival, it was hoped people would learn more about the mud and the cosmetics.
Attractions
For the period of the festival several large attractions are erected in the seafront area of
Daecheon
Boryeong (), commonly known as Daecheon, is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea. It lies on the Janghang Line railroad, which connects it to Seoul via the Gyeongbu Line. It is also conne ...
. These include a mud pool, mud slides, mud prison and mud skiing competitions. This is a ticketed event and the tickets can be purchased online or at the venue.
Colored mud is also produced for body painting. A large stage is erected on the beach, which is used for live music, competitions and various other visual attractions.
A small market runs along the seafront selling cosmetics made using the mud from
Boryeong
Boryeong (), commonly known as Daecheon, is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea. It lies on the Janghang Line railroad, which connects it to Seoul via the Gyeongbu Line. It is also conne ...
. Various health and beauty clinics offer massages, acupuncture and other treatments utilising the medicinal qualities of the mud.
The festival is closed with a large
firework
Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...
display.
Gallery
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References
External links
https://www.facebook.com/boryeongmudfestnew/
Official English WebsiteOfficial site (in English)City of Boryeong Official site*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXArQWObOQY
English site and Blog about Boryeong Mud Festival 2010{{Festivals in South Korea
Tourist attractions in South Chungcheong Province
Recurring events established in 1998
Festivals in South Korea
Boryeong
Annual events in South Korea
Summer events in South Korea