Without a doubt, Koreans like to consume ginseng. They say ginseng helps reduce stress and helps facilitate men's erections. A quick Google search will reveal many other claimed benefits from the consumption of ginseng.
I don't know if the science behind ginseng supports these claims and I am not a particular fan of ginseng, however, I decided it might be interesting to take a look around what may be Korea's largest ginseng festival in Geumsan this past November.
According to Korea Tourism Organization, Geumsan is becoming a major trade center for ginseng and other medicinal herbs. It's not hard to believe when you walk around the central herb street and the festival grounds. The street, which is unusually wide for Korea, is lined with herb stores. Also, the facilities built for the festival look to be state of the art. One quickly gets the sense that the town of Geumsan is doing well from the sale of herbs.
The festival grounds had three performance/entertainment stages. One stage was for 각설이 (cross-dressing singing clowns), there was one small stage on the street, and the main stage which had a large shaded seating area. Something was happening at each stage throughout the afternoon.
Also, a large group of traditional Korean music performers wandered the main street for almost an hour while playing tunes. This really made the atmosphere come alive. Of course, I'm a huge fan of traditional Korean music, so that's something I always look forward to.
This particular group included three individuals dressed in character costumes. There was a woman who wore a pretty dress and danced around, a man who dressed in aristocrat clothes from Korea's past, and another man who wore traditional hunting clothes. I've seen characters like these before, but this group pulled it off a little better. I particularly liked the energy the woman gave off, however, I'm not sure if her outfit was strictly traditional or a modern fusion of different styles.
The most interesting part of the festival for me was walking inside the indoor herb market. It was packed with from end to end with people and with fresh herbs. I can still smell the pungent air.
Vendors were selling the various roots based on the age. I only remember seeing 5 and 6 year old roots for sale, but there could have been other ages available.
By late afternoon I decided I'd had enough and began my journey home. Now, sitting at my desk and looking back, the Geumsan Ginseng Festival was a worthwhile trip. However, I don't plan on returning for another event. Not being specially interested in ginseng, one visit to the festival will be enough for me. The Geumsan Ginseng Festival offers you a chance to visit a huge Korean medicinal herb market, enjoy traditional music performances, and experience a bit of Korean culture.
Online Resources:
Geumsan Ginseng Festival (Korean)
