Traditional event for foreign students was held for celebrating the 42nd 'Coming-of-Age Day' at YU Folk village.
They enjoyed wearing traditional Korean Costumes like 'Gat, Binye, and Jokduri'.
[May 19, 2014]
In the morning of the 19th at the YU Gyeongsan Campus Folk Village, international students wore gat, traditional Korean hat for men, and binyeo, traditional Korean hairpin, to put on a unique scene.
YU (President Noh Seok-kyun) held an event for international students to experience the traditional Korean coming-of-age event on the 42nd Coming-of-Age Day (third Monday of May).
The ceremony called 'gwan-rye' is a traditional coming-of-age ceremony of Korea where a respected guest with scholarship and virtue is invited so that men from 15 to 20 years old ties their hair in a topknot and changes their 'gwan' (hat) three times to be reminded of their responsibilities to their family, society and country. 'Gye-rye' is a ceremony for girls to undo their pigtails and make a chignon and placing a binyeo (ornamental hairpin) to proclaim that they have now become an adult woman.
Abo Keril (21) who came from the Philippines this year for the YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul master's degree program said, "It was a very interesting and entertaining event that I never experienced in the Philippines," and added, "I once again felt the charms of traditional Korean culture that teaches the pride and responsibilities of being an adult."
Gulver Huma Meltem (21), a sophomore at the YU School of Architecture from Turkey who participated in the gye-rye ceremony, said, "I felt a sense of responsibility after this coming-of-age ceremony with a solemn process and mood, which is different from Turkey," and added, "I will do my best to become a global citizen and fulfill all my social responsibilities."
YU President Noh Seok-kyun, who was invited as the respected guest of the gwan-rye ceremony, said "It is very meaningful to be able to hold this traditional coming-of-age ceremony at our school built in memory of the Confucian scholars of Yeongnam," and added, "As this is a traditional coming-of-age ceremony to remember the classical spirit of our ancestors at a meaningful place, I hope that the students of our school will have a sense of responsibility and be the pillars of the Republic of Korea."
