By: Kim Atienza
HAEUNDAE Beach is the largest beach in South Korea, spanning 52 kilometers or equaling five Boracays. We saw this for ourselves during a recent episode of our TV show, “Matanglawin” (Sunday mornings on ABS-CBN).
Every June, the beach hosts a sand castle contest or popularly known as Haeundae Sand Festival.
“Dito rin ginanap ang world record para sa largest number of beach umbrellas on the beach noong August 2011.
That time, they had 7,000 beach umbrellas and 300,000 participants and beach goers.
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While wandering along the beach, we met Ssireum wrestlers from Uieseong Middle School.
Imbis na magbabad lang sa video games o cellphone, mas pinili nilang aralin ang Korean wrestling na 37 B.C pa ay nilalaro na sa Korea.
Lee Byung Chul, Ssireum Wrestling Team coach shared that he wants to show the culture of Korea through Ssireum. He said he started wrestling when he was just 11 years old and has been doing this for more than 30 years.
Alam n’yo ba na ang mga magsasaka ang naglalaro ng wrestling noon sa Korea? Ginaganap ang Ssireum match sa bukid para malaman kung sino sa kanila ang pinakamalakas. At sa halip na tropeo, bull ang kanilang premyo, dahil ang bull ay simbolo ng lakas at magagamit din sa kanilang pag-aararo.
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The Ssireum wrestlers hosted a demo Ssierum match between Ishin and Kim Kang Min. Before the fight, one must stay in his first position or neutral then hold the belt or satba.
Sa satba lang pwedeng humawak ang magkalaban. Sa Ssireum, gamit ang pwersa ng katawan kailangang mapabagsak sa loob ng dalawang minute ang kahit na anong parte ng katawan, mula sa tuhod pataas.
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TRIVIA PA MORE (Various Sources): Calbiga Cave – The Philippines’ biggest karst formations and one of the largest in Asia is Calbiga Cave, measured 2,968-hectare cave system and is composed of 12 caves with wide underground spaces, unique rock formations and sub-terranean watercourse.
The second largest pipe organ in the Philippines and the only existing pipe organ in Mindanao is at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. The huge instrument took two years to build and was brought over by sea from Germany in 23 crates.