Belated Lunar New Year party a feast of Korean culture

For the last month, Andrea Kitano has been spending her weekends hosting hanbok fashion shows at shopping centres across Winnipeg.

The pop-up events invite mall-goers to learn about Korean culture while trying on the traditional garments, usually featuring a jeogori (top), baji (trousers), chima (skirt) and po (coat).

“They learn a lot and I’m proud that people loved the outfit,” says Kitano, a co-founder of the Manitoba Korean Canadian Community Resource Network. “One of our members visited South Korea and she brought back over 100 pieces of hanbok.”

The fashion shows offered a taste of the belated Lunar New Year party Kitano and her colleagues are hosting with Foodtrip Market on Saturday at the Manitoba Museum. The event will feature food, games and entertainment.

The Lunar New Year holiday, known as Seollal in Korea, marks the turning of the lunisolar calendar, which landed on Feb. 17 this year.

“It’s one of the biggest holidays in Korea because it’s the beginning of the new year. All the families get together. There’s rituals for remembering past ancestors, we make food together and we play different games,” Kitano says.

While Seollal is typically observed at home, this weekend’s party aims to introduce Winnipeggers of all backgrounds to the holiday’s traditions.

Multiculturalism is a core tenet of the resource network, which recently celebrated its first year of operations.

“We promote Korean culture, but we accept diversity as well as intergenerational perspectives,” says Kitano, adding the group has a broad mix of Korean and non-Korean members.

“We basically accept anyone who loves Korean culture and wants to have access to it.”

The non-profit resource network is part cultural organization and part social-service hub, offering language assistance, digital literacy, employment support and help for newcomers navigating Manitoba’s education, health care and legal systems.

“As an immigrant, I’ve experienced a lot of hardships people face, especially due to language barriers or cultural barriers. I think it would be a hypocrisy if we ignored these difficulties or obstacles and just celebrated the culture,” says Kitano, who has a background in social work.

Saturday’s Seollal event is a fundraiser for the resource network. Ticketholders can expect a mix of traditional and contemporary Korean cultural touchstones.

“There’s going to be a lot of diverse activities: we will have K-beauty demonstrations, hanbok try-ons and a lot of food,” says Lourdes Federis, event organizer for Foodtrip, a local Filipino restaurant and food festival promoter.

“South Korea is not just K-pop.”

Special guests from Toronto include Sangah Lee, who performs Pansori — a form of musical storytelling — and the Navillera Korean Dance Ensemble, which will present folk dancing followed by a performance inspired by the popular Oscar-nominated animated movie KPop Demon Hunters.

The entertainment program runs from 6 to 9 p.m., followed by a K-pop dance party until midnight.

Tickets include a Korean bento box filled with samples of food typically eaten during the new year. Tiered pricing is available for children, students and seniors.

winnipegfreepress.com/evawasney

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