A long, long time ago (Yes, I read the brochure. No, I didn’t memorize it)  the have-nots in Korea would gather together and make fun of the haves.  They were able to do this and not get punished because they wore masks during painfully honest depictions of the upper crust and their treatment of the peasants.  The masks were as elaborate as could be for the time, created of whatever materials could be found, usually hollowed out squash or gourds, and painted with vivid colors portraying any number of complicated human emotions.  Nowadays, for my enjoyment, and the enjoyment of the thousands of others who flocked to the Andong Mask Festival on Saturday, the show goes on!  What an awesome gathering!  What an incredible experience!

 As does any festival with a theme, this one had vibrant displays of…you guessed it!  Masks.  It was so much fun to peruse the stalls and see the craftsmanship.  In the photo above, professional artists show their stuff.  In this one on the left, children show their mad skills with floam!  Garrett particularly enjoyed masks with the most bizarre expressions on their faces…of course!   Luke was happy to walk around and take it all in, go for a ride in a little motorized thing and try a hotdog on a stick with the batter fried and full of french fries as well (I think I mentioned this in a previous blog.  Well, Luke try.  Luke like.)  For her part, Natalie (always the superstar with her blond hair and blue eyes) just stuck close by me while people tried to touch her and talk to her.  Kudos for your patience, Nat!  In the end, she got a hug from Curious George.  A great day, all in all!