Look a little deeper (무궁화) 君子之國，地方千里，多木槿之華
The national flower of Korea is called the Mugungwha (무궁화) and in English is known as the Rose of Sharon or maybe Hibiscus. This flower blooms most of the summer through the muggiest months of the this flower still spreads bright cheer.
It's name "the rose of Sharon" sounds like a rose but it is not even a rose at all. It is also called a lily or crocus. Mow I will give one more name just to make everything more complicated. I will call it by its Korean name, "Mugungwha."
The name "mugungwha" sticks with me because the first year I came to Korea I heard kids playing a game with the same word "Mugungwha". There is a children's game in Korea called 무궁화 꽃 이 피었 습니다 (Mugunghwa kkoci pieot seumnida). It's very similar to the American game called "Red Light, Green Light". Kindergarten and early Elementary school students still love to play this game, but sometimes cheat.
This Mugungwha flower earned its own patriotic song in Korea that is almost as well known as the national anthem. During Japanese occupation of Korea this flower was the symbol of Korean independence so although the song is a children's song it is a folk song held dear to the heart to many Koreans.
무궁화 무궁화 우리나라꽃
mu-gung-hwa mu-gung-hwa u-li-na-la-kkot-
삼천리 강산에 우리나라꽃
sam-cheon-li gang-san-e u-li-na-la-kkot-
피었네 피었네 우리나라꽃
pi-eot-ne pi-eot-ne u-li-na-la-kkot-
삼천리 강산에 우리나라꽃
sam-cheon-li gang-san-e u-li-na-la-kkot-
무궁화 무궁화 우리나라꽃
mu-gung-hwa mu-gung-hwa u-li-na-la-kkot-
삼천리 강산에 우리나라꽃
sam-cheon-li gang-san-e u-li-na-la-kkot-
무궁화 무궁화 우리나라꽃 영어로
My English Version:
Mugunghwa Mugunghwa, Flower of Korea
Flower of the Korean peninsula and golden mountains
Blooming Blooming, Flower of Korea
Flower of the Korean peninsula and golden mountains
Mugunghwa Mugunghwa Korean flower
Flower of the Korean peninsula and golden mountains
In the Songs of Solomon 2:1 the beloved says to his lover:
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
Isaiah 35:1 speaks of the coming of the Messiah like a lily in the desert. This may also be the Rose of Sharon
Let the wilderness and desert be happy; let the arid rift valley rejoice and bloom like a lily!
Original Poem @mineopoly
Mugungwha
Achacia trees from a distant Island
Planted in a row
Leech the native soil
An oppressor's yoke weighs heavy on the trees
Devastated by man's iniquities
Set free by a new seed
The blossom of freedom opens
The trumpet petals blast a proclamation of independence
The white of the flower washes the sin of a nation
The stigma points to a new direction of life
The honey bee finds nectar in the Mugungwha
The Rose of Sharon
The Lilly of the Valley
The Bright and Morning Star Shines
In a flower
In a game
In a song
In mugungwha in a row
Like a passenger train
All pictures in this post are from my own camera except the train picture edited by @mineopoly.
Enjoy the Ride,
Love,
This flower is known as the chembarathy in our area. Beautiful flower and a great poem
Thanks. I was pretty sure this flower was in your area too @sayee. My prayers are with you. Is school in session there?
Such a beautiful flower @mineopoly ... and I loved watching the kiddos playing that game. I played 'red light, green light' as a child. And what it is about watching little humans running around enjoying life? That put the biggest smile on my face. They are so freaking cute.
You took some stunning pictures and I love what you did with that last one!!
Another beautiful poem!! I have been quite busy my friend... I hope all is well with you!
Thank you @monchhichi23,
This flower has a special meaning to me and even more since I came to Korea. I was introduced to this game twenty years ago as I saw kids playing it in the hallway and outside in Korea. Today kids are playing "Battle Ground" in the hallway on their cell phones after school. There is not much I can do for them. I use a nanny app on my kid's devices and I think all parents should because they really can't control it themselves.
One of the greatest joys in life is to see a child really play and too see them play independently is an even greater joy for me. Korean students are mostly directed what to do so every moment I have I try to guide them to independent thought and responsibility. A lot of this is through games. I am teaching this summer and wouldn't trade it for the world. This Monday the whole class will be inside the gym.
I want to share all parts of Korea with you, the beautiful ones as well as the grungy ones. I like to play with pictures if I have time.
I know you are busy. Actually I get a Vacation from the 4th and I think I will be more busy on vacation than I ever was before.
Take it easy on the big easy.
Laissez les bon temps rouler
@mineopoly
I love hibiscus like bam boo they tend to take over everything if you don't keep an eye on the though lol
Ha ha, exactly,
I just planted some bamboo in our back yard last year and it is starting to spread. I expect it to spread to every corner of the mountain, but I don't mind at all, it will work as a great fence.
Are you from Asia? These plants seem to thrive in humid places. Thanks for stopping by @tygertyger
I'm happy to see your comment ^^
I am exile Russian, born in Germany currently living in North Carolina USA. we have lot of hibiscus here ...
I see. Thank you @tygertyger,
I think the climate and terrain in North Carolina is similar to South Korea. Old mountains and four mild seasons with a long humid summer.
yeah although we had a freak cold winter last year which was a big disaster for many ...
Wow, that's heavy. I heard it was record cold for the whole US last year. Weather is messed up.
nods
Truly is a beautiful flower! Thanks for sharing Christopher. I always thought the biblical Rose of Sharon may have a different meaning.
Well you are right @redheadpei, the Rose of Sharon points to the flower that brightens up the valley. I see in the New Testament that Jesus is the Rose of Sharon. Even before Koreans knew this flower had anything to do with the Messiah they held onto the symbol of this flower as a sign of peace and independence. There is nothing special in the flower itself but more in its ability to stand in stress and difficulties. My biologist friend hates this flower because it bother's his garden. There should be a happy median^^
Not that I know a lot about the Jewish religion but Sharon is also a Israeli surname.
I can’t understand why anyone would hate this beauty of a flower. 🌸 ❤️
Yes. Sharon was a strong public figure in the past decades. My friend wouldn't give me much reason but turned away from the flower strongly. He has a lot of land in Southern India. My guess is this flower bothers the trees he is trying to cultivate.
howdy today @mineopoly! great post, very educational and informative with stunning photos, the flower is gorgeous!
Thank you my friend @janton!! I never saw this flower or noticed it but it is all over Korea. Now it is one of my favorite. Dicotyledons usually have three of five distinct petals. This one has five. In the last picture I chose one point in the phot and again divided it into five parts.
I will be busy this week getting gifts ready to give friends in America and meeting some people before I leave. I have a lot of great pictures and videos but no time to post them properly. Maybe I will consider posting them improperly. Have a wonderful week.
@mineopoly
haha! yeah we don't care about proper posting, we just want great pictures! lol! I bet it feels good to get back here after so long?
You got a good point there. I may just throw videos and pictures up with just a title. Forget content... a picture is worth a thousand words.
so many people are doing that and it doesn't seem to matter that much so maybe we're working too hard!
i remember i used to play the game everyday as a kid. i remember the train and the boiled eggs and snacks too!
Yes man @roundbeargames,
These are like the invisible yeast that molded at least three generations of Koreans. I got to use the gym for English camp today and spent the whole day playing traditional Korean games with an English twist. Kids really needed it and during break time they forgot to look at their cell phones.
The kids are really picky about snacks today. I ordered two pizzas and one kid is like, "I don't eat pizza. I only eat chicken."
wtf... that kid is fucking entitled already. 맘충 is serious. people joke about it but i think parents are setting up their kids for failure. the kid needs some ass whoopin.
맘총 = 아이를 핑계로 갑질하는 엄마의 탈을 쓴 쓰레기
In this case the head teacher felt sorrow for the kids and got sponsorship from the Office of Education to pay for the kid's pizza. They are mostly poor kids and are happy to join the English camp but you should have seen the look on this teacher's face when I said the kid didn't want to eat his pizza.
She was ready to whoop his ass, but she just smiled and said, "Oh that's too bad. I hope you have something to eat at home then."
Even my son knows he is spoiled and he is a little embarrassed to visit America thinking kids will make fun of him when he asks his mom to do something for him so suddenly he is becoming Mr. Independent.
Dude I was about to go to Boramae to eat some healthy soup yesterday but I got to Shinchon and decided it was too hot to continue. Are you alright?
i gotta say some koreans moms are the worst moms in the universe. 맘충 also refers to any of them who let their kids run around like wild animals.
anyways it's too hot i'm literally dying! 😦