Monday, January 07, 2008

wooden ducks in the wind

솟대 Sotdae is newly set up on the peak of 성암산 Sungamsan, Mt. Sungam located to the west of 경산 Gyeongsan.
Sotdae has been the religious figure for village residents since ancient times, which consists of the wood pole and wooden bird on the top. Villagers stood Sotdae at the village entrance for the welfare and good harvest of the village on the day of the full moon of the first month of the lunar year. The wooden birds on the top chiefly depict ducks briefly.
Most ducks are aquatic birds, so the ancients thought the aquatic characteristic of ducks can protect them from the fire. Ducks are also fertile and lay many eggs, usually larger than chicken eggs. Besides, ducks are migratory birds and were thought to freely enter and exit this side of the grave and the other world as well as the realm of god and human.
An anemoscope on the pole on the primary school ground shows the direction that the wind is blowing from the 북동 northeast to the 남서 southwest. During the winter season, the prevailing winds in Korea are usually from the northwest and northeast.