Jwibulnori

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Jwibulnori
Korean name
Hangul	쥐불놀이
Revised Romanization	Jwibulnori
McCune–Reischauer	Chwibulnori

Jwibulnori (Korean: 쥐불놀이) is a Korean game in which participants create streaks of light by swinging cans filled with flammable items. The game is played during the first full moon of a year in the lunar calendar, a national holiday in Korea. It is played during the time when fires are started on farmlands to exterminate harmful insects and rats by burning away their habitat.^[1] The game's purpose is also to wish for good health.^{[citation needed]}

People make a torchlight with a basket or container tied with a strong string. The game is often played by twirling the string. There can also be fights between other village members. They play the game until midnight and, after enjoying the game, the fire is set on the farmland.

Meaning[]

Jwibulnori is still practiced as a folk game in modern, industrialized, and urbanized societies. The game is meant to create a sense of community and burn dead grass, pests, and germs, allowing for a fruitful harvest. The game welcomes the New Year by purifying old misfortune to obtain good fortune.^[2][3]

Origin[]

Originally, Jwibulnori originated from the custom of burning the ridge between rice paddies by setting dry grass from the paddy fields on fire the day before New Year's Day.^[4]

Modern Jwibulnori[]

Although traditional Jwibulnori has gradually disappeared, it is still part of New Year's Eve festivities. In modern times, children use long rings made of wire in cans by drilling holes in the bottom and sides of cans. The place where Jwibulnori is mainly held is at a place where a sheaf burning event is held, in a wide field or a field with a low risk of fire.^[5]

Fire-can game is a play that has been performed with Jwibulnori. According to the testimonies of the elderly, it originated from the widespread use of cans after the Korean War. In other words, it was naturally combined with Jwibulnori while various kinds of canned food among the military materials that were airlifted during the war were used as amusement tools. When the turning of the can is progressing and midnight is near, all the trees put in the fire-can are burned, and only embers are left. If one climbs up a small garden or goes out to the riverside to throw the fire-can high up in the sky, the remaining embers in the cans fall and glitter the night sky. Throwing away the fire-can at the end of the night can be seen as a way to send out bad luck and welcome good luck, just as people believe that they can beat bad luck by flying a kite on the first day of the year.^[5]

How to play Jwibulnori[]

Jwibulnori

There is no particular way to play, but it is usually played by burning a bunch of brooms or trees and burning the fields around the village. Depending on the province, people run around with kindling made of mugwort and set fires. Nowadays, some even use Bulkkangtong (Hangul: 불깡통, meaning: fire-cans)^[6]

To make a fire-can, dozens of holes are drilled in the surface of an empty can. This creates airflow through the can that aids the fire. After drilling into a can, a wire of about 1 meter is connected to each side of it to make a handle. Sticks are placed in the can, and the fire is started. The string is then held with one hand and spun vigorously so that the fuel in the can burns, creating a spark. Children spin cans and compete over whose fire burns better. Recently, there has been more and more use of fire-cans instead of a torch or a bundle of straw; thus playing the fire-can can be understood as a type of Jwibulnori.^[6]

Jwibulnori in Jeju[]

In Jeju Island, people set a fire in the rangeland of Mt. Halla (Hangul: 한라산) during the month of February, or Hwaip (Hangul: 화입). In addition, the area calls the rat "daughter-in-law" because if you just call a mouse "a mouse," it will understand and be nasty. There is also a custom that a divination sign cannot be found on the day of the mouse, and a custom that doesn’t put some starch on the clothes. As Jwibulnori is a folklore related to rats, it is the same as placing fire on a field on the first day of the first lunar month. Depending on the region, it is also known as the "Jwibul (Hangul: 쥐불)" in conjunction with the moon torchlight on New Year’s Eve. Nowadays, to prevent fire, it is not allowed to put a Jwibul. Pesticides are developed, and the disease and pests are exterminated, so Jwibulnori is gradually disappearing.^[7]

Jwibulnori in China[]

Bulnori (Hangul: 불놀이, mean: Displaying fireworks) on the 15th day of the New Year is derived from the idea of Sunghwa (Hangul: 숭화, Hanja: 崇火) which reveres fire. In southern China and Europe as well as Korea, farmers practice of burning fire is associated with their products. In China, there is a Hunchung (Hangul: 훈충, Hanja: 燻蟲) event called Yongdaedu (Hangul: 용대두, Hanja: 龍擡頭) on February 2 of the Lunar New Year. This is a holiday in which a dragon raises his head. It is said that it is possible to prevent various insect disasters if it goes out of the door and in the kitchen while spraying the ashes like a dragon at the beginning of the farming.^[7]

Jwibulnori engraved in Pyeongchang commemorative coins[]

Pyeongchang commemorative coins are engraved with Jwibulnori. The currency issued to commemorate the PyeongChang Olympic Games is divided into commemorative bills and commemorative coins. There are gold coins, silver coins, and brass coins, and Jwibulnori are engraved in gold coins. In addition, the gold coins are engraved with traditional play paintings such as mono maple sled and Jwibulnori. In the silver coins and brass coins, speed skating and bobsleigh were engraved.^[8][9]

References[]

External links[]

• Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation(한국문화재재단)
• Culturecontent(문화콘텐츠닷컴)