Winter Outings, Icy Festivals
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
How do you defeat a mid-winter cold snap? Do you just hibernate indoors and hang on until warm weather returns in the spring? Sometimes, it is better to embrace the season as it is and revel outdoors in the cold. Let's confront the winter chill with freezing tastes.
Various ice events are awaiting tourists, especially families from cities, who want to enjoy the pinnacle of winter in rural icy areas.
Sancheoneo Ice Festival
The cream of the crop of winter outdoor events will be ice fishing ― catching fish with lines and hooks through an opening in the ice on a frozen river, lake or stream.
Hwacheon, Gangwon Province is emerging as a tourist winter hot spot with the 6th Sancheoneo Ice Festival. The festival will continue through Jan. 27.
The festival features ice fishing to catch ``sancheoneo'' among other activities and events.
``Sancheoneo'' is a cherry salmon living in fresh, cold and clean streams with temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius or below. The fish is rare but not an endangered species. The unique patterns on its back make it more distinguished; it is also known as ``the queen of valleys.'' The fish has a firm, chewy flesh with a sweet nutty taste.
The festival has become a unique regional event that draws more than 1.2 million visitors every year to Hwacheon River since its inception in 2003.
The municipal government makes sure the river stays frozen at a thickness of 30 to 40 centimeters and a length of approximately 2 kilometers for the winter festival.
The river, with a width of 80-130 meters and a depth of 1-3 meters, is located near the Town Center of Hwacheon County.
About 50 tons of the fish, raised on farms by the municipal government, are expected to be released into the river during the festival.
The festival program includes ice fishing through a hole cut in the ice, lure fishing and catching fish with your bare hands. Fishing tools are available at the venue and there are 12,000 holes in the ice. After catching the fish, you can cook it or enjoy it as ``sashimi'' or ``sushi,'' on the spot.
Admission for the programs related to fishing is 10,000 won for adults and high school students and 5,000 won for elementary and middle school children. Admission for children under 7 is free.
Aside from fishing, the festival also offers ice and snow sledding, snow castles and sculptures, bobsleighing, ice tubes, ice bumper cars, ice bikes, a snowman photo zone, ice soccer, a sled train, and ice and bike skating.
There is a 50 meter snow bobsleigh track, a 150 meter ice bobsleigh track, an ice soccer field and an ice-skating rink.
Most programs are free but if you use a sled, a deposit is charged, which is replaced with ``festival money'' that is also valid everywhere within Hwacheon County _ it expires a year after being issued.
Also, a creative sled-making contest will be held to showcase various individually crafted sleds. The size or design has no limit, as long as the sled can hold more than one person.
Every year, creative and unique patterned sleds shaped like fish, submarines, penguins, and even Santa Claus have caught the eyes of visitors. To make the contest more fun, all participants usually adorn their sleds with items related to each year's theme. This year's theme is ``Unfrozen Hearts and Unforgettable Memories.''
All sleds are required to be made before the contest days because of limited space available. Participants can register online for the contest on the official website, https://global.narafestival.com.
All rights of the winning crafts are reserved by Hwacheon County, and visitors can ride them during the festival.
For more information, call (033) 441-7575 or visit https://ice.narafestival.com.
Pocheon Dongjanggun Festival
If you are planning to go out with your children this season, the Dongjanggun Festival in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, about 50 km northeast of Seoul, is now in full swing. ``Dongjanggun'' literally means ``General of Winter,'' referring to ``the rigors of winter.'' The festival began on Jan. 6 and will continue to run until Jan. 28.
This year's festival theme is ``The Celebration of Snow flowers and Lights,'' with a variety of events for the cold winter months.
There is rabbit herding, ice sledding, and making traditional kites for children, who can also enjoy traditional activities they haven't experienced before.
There are also food-related events such as mountain village food tasting, Idong rice wine tasting and traditional tea tasting. Large ice sculptures are on display at the venue.
With its traditional games and food, the festival promises a memorable winter experience.
For more information, call (031) 535-7242 or www.dongjangkun.co.kr.
Pyeongchang Trout Festival
Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province is a mountainous county and a destination for winter sports with heavy snows, but is also known as a trout habitat. The region was the first place to bring the species to Korea from the United States in 1965. Since then, the region has been home to many large-sized trout farms and restaurants.
The region is now promoting its large production of trout and holding a regional festival.
Around the Odaecheon (Odae Stream) area in Pyeongchang County, the first Pyeongchang Trout Festival is being held for the whole month of January.
The festival began on Jan. 1, with the venue spanning more than 40,000 square meters, offering a wide variety of family activities such as bare hand trout fishing, ice fishing, lure fishing, snow sledding, ice soccer, an igloo experience and snow rafting.
Along with the trout fishing, the first Pyeonchang Light & Ice Festival will also take place on the Pyeongchanggang River.
The festival was organized by the local residents under the theme of ``A Fun & Exciting Winter with Family at Pyeongchang.''
Along with the ice and snow events, there are the magical lights of Luminarie to attract tourists.
Also available at the festival are ``ice pensions'' that look like Korean houses from the 1970-1980s and hit movies shown on an ice screen. Visitors can enjoy various local delicacies.
For more information, call (033) 325-2248 or visit www.festival700.or.kr/trout.