Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festivals 2012

I must admit, I love these festivals. I guess that means that I am a bit of a fire-bug or something. At any rate, I love photographing them and I have tried to get out every year to catch people swirling fire and lighting a huge bonfire. The festivals are usually held during the first full moon of the lunar new year which is this Monday. These festivals are held pretty much all over Korea and in multiple places in each city. Don’t feel bad if you miss the big one on Jeju as there might just be one down the street at your local district office or community center.

For some that might not know of these festivals, they are quite fun. Basically this is a festival to bring good luck for the following year. There are a number of traditions but most famous are the burning of the Daljib and the jibulnori. The burning of the Daljib is the focal point of many of the smaller festivals and it is basically the lighting of a large bonfire that is used to ward off evil spirits. Jibulnori is where people swing cans of burning embers around to ward off the evil spirits… and to have a good time.

The largest festival of this kind will be held this weekend on Jeju Island. I have always wanted to go there and get some shots as it looks really cool…. or I guess “hot” in this case. This is quickly becoming an “international” event and I would say that from the pics, it looks like a good time. More information can be found on their website. 

For these events, I would recommend that you dress warmly. Also bring a tripod to steady your camera. Do not try and hand-hold low light shots… if you want decent shots afterward. Another thing to keep in mind is that in many places they won’t wait until it dark to light the Daljib, so go early. Fast lenses work well here and if you have a 50mm prime, you will be in business. I use my 70-200mm a lot to shoot people doing the Jibulnori as it allows me to zoom in and really isolate the subject.

If you are in Ulsan,  I heard that they are breaking up the party into a few locations. Typically it was held down along the Taehwa River but this year there is one supposedly out at Ilsan Beach and another overlooking the city at Baek-yeongsa most likely in that patch of land in front of the temple (read: across the street). I just saw the sign say that the event is tomorrow and ends around 8pm.

Most years, Haeundae Beach has one as well, although I have yet to make it out there. Usually every other year it rains on this day and thus traveling has been limited. It rained last year, so most festivals were cancelled. This year looks to be alright…

** Here are the events for Busan! Thanks to the Korea Bridge **

Shot at f2.8 for 1 second with L series 70-200mm


Jason Teale 

Photographer, educator, podcaster

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Photographing Korea and the world beyond!