American Spring Break Horror Book

Chapter seven

Korean folklore includes stories and rituals that date back several thousand years. These stories have many different origins, including Shamanism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and, more recently, Christianity. Many folk traditions originated in rural settings, such as villages. They frequently connect to houses and farms, and this strengthens family and social bonds. Folk story performances reflect life in Korea with artists, often encouraging and eliciting audience participation. Oral traditions and stories were passed down orally until the 5th Century, when written examples appeared. While many practices have faded or been updated, folklore remains firmly ingrained in Korean culture, influencing disciplines such as religion, tales, art, and rituals. A majority of Koreans believe in the traditions and customs that act as guidance to shape their livelihoods. Sandra Roberts and her friends are surprised by the information about Korean culture. They feel like a whole new world, lost during those discussions. At the same time, they are eager to visit South Korea. In a matter of days, they will be quenching the anticipation built while studying its folklore.

Meera Katrina's Narrative

Everyone needed a break, but taking a fantastic vacation to South Korea on a small budget seemed impossible. We were pretty sure our parents would grant us the opportunity to travel. However, the expenses were another hurdle for us. We had saved a considerable amount of money, but staying in South Korea for more than a week required more financial support. As a team of twelve friends, we had grown fond of each other and promised to stand by ourselves despite any challenges. Amber Ray, Dhruv Khan, and Laura Martins were unsure about their travel plans. We never imagined that we would leave anyone behind. It was a surprise when Uncle Chan Yeol promised to cater to Amber Ray. Later, Dhruv and Laura confirmed their decision to travel with the rest. We couldn’t hide our joy. That morning, I screamed out after reading a confirmation that the twelve of us would be heading to South Korea. “How can I select a fantastic location, stay at a beautiful hotel, and book inexpensive airfare?” I wondered. I had traveled by air but wished to experience the most expensive ones. I wasn’t sure whether it was the best time to explore it. It wasn’t possible and more accessible than I thought.

The recent learning about Korean folklore triggers unwanted thoughts and feelings, making me aggressive. Laura Martins has had an increased level of panic and fear. I also find it hard to sleep after reading about the gumiho. The description of the fox-like animal scared almost everyone. Uncle Chan Yeol made it worse when he told us his reasons for not being able to marry. The main one was not being sure about dating a gumiho. It sounded scary but funny. However, the previous article about gumiho in Koreans is quite thrilling. Packing for the spring break holiday begins. My mother kept complaining about how she was broke. She could not stand my shopping list, asking me to delete some of the stuff. I felt terrible about it. She kept reminding me how much the trip to South Korea cost her a lot of money. I followed her decisions but promised to ask for more financial support from my father. However, the response I got from him made me hate myself. I saw my brother giggling after my father turned down the request I presented to him. That made me have a bad mood. The only person that made me happy was Damian Pena. I longed for the time we would be leaving for South Korea. Before retiring, I shared my frustrations with Damian, and gladly, he gave me an ear. He promised to provide whatever amount I needed. I didn’t know that falling in love was such a good thing.

There is nothing I like more than traveling with my friends over spring break. I enjoy lounging by the pool on hot days, eating excellent dinners, and partying constantly. The vacations create memories that last a lifetime. However, I cannot appreciate the lovely surroundings and feel the easygoing attitudes without adequate packing preparation for the trip. Our teacher once told us that many tourists disregard the essential aspect of a trip: packing their luggage. I could not forget to remind my friends about it. “Teacher Morris said that packing is the most superficial aspect of preparing for a holiday, with tourists just tossing their clothing and footwear into a bag and sealing it shut. However, packing appears to cause the most disorder. Travelers frequently forget their chargers, lose their socks, and discover too late that nothing matches. The lack of room is caused by overpacking superfluous items and exceeding luggage’s weight and size restrictions.” I told my friends, and they were happy to hear that from me. We agreed to be keen while packing and learned how to prevent mishaps when preparing for spring travel. Teacher Morris’s lessons become practical. Spring break is a time for rest for each of us; however, there is increased anxiety and confusion.

We were reminded to consider the size of the bag needed. We had to pack items suitable for the events we planned to attend during the vacation. I prioritize fitting all apparel and accessories into my suitcase while packing. The photos of our luggage sent on the w******p group proved our anticipation. It was a stress-free packing experience for my spring vacation as I took in the notes that teacher Morris highlighted to the latter. In other cases, I could not stop and check on several websites to be sure. When I think of spring vacations, I immediately recall spending time in the water, at parties, and enjoying delicious meals. I can’t wait to explore Korean cuisine.

The study of Korean folklore is hair-raising. We learned about Cheonyo Gwishin, also known as the virgin ghost, which is famous in Korean mythology. In Korean folklore and urban legend, the Korean Virgin Ghost (Cheonyo Gwisin) is the spirit of an unmarried lady. Other communities in Korea refer to it as Malmyeong, Sonmalmyeong, and Songaksi, among other names. Strangely, Korea is deeply immersed in its tradition despite being a highly modernized nation. Korea remains predominantly a Confucian society. (Confucianism is an ancient Chinese belief system that emphasizes the value of personal ethics and morality).In Korea, women are expected to carry out specific duties, including childbearing. Virgin ghosts are the souls of women who died as virgins, and they were allegedly used as a scare tactic to encourage young women to marry as soon as possible. They are told how the Cheonyo hovers around in several Korean cities. The mythology shaped the characters of Koreans as those who went against it faced the consequences.

Women in early traditional Korea were taught that their life's only goal should be to serve their father, husband, and children. It was believed that if a woman died before performing her responsibilities, she would suffer lifetime bitterness and be unable to enter the afterlife. The belief was told from one generation to the other. Thus, the family members highly respected Korean customs and traditions. They were dying was thought to be equal to their life pointless. In urban legend, all unmarried young ladies who die become Han (a Chinese dynasty dated 206 B.C relating to Buddhism) and change into evil ghosts. They primarily target young girls their age, tormenting and hurting them. They have the potential to wreck the family and are specially enlisted as vassals in their household. During ancient times, the Koreans placed a small shelf in one corner, hung it on the wall with a small wooden box enshrined, and believed the spirit would be exalted in the door gap. Cheonyo Gwisin is a water spirit frequently represented as a woman in a white hanbok, known as' sobok, 'the traditional white mourning clothing, with her hair down. The older woman could easily detect the presence of the Cheonyo Gwishin after noticing its sparkling white costume. Whenever a young virgin girl was on the homestead, the virgin ghost would always prey on them until they got married.

There was a distinct way to differentiate between virgins and married women: the hairstyle. Traditionally, married women pulled their hair up, but because the soul died unmarried, they let their hair down. The pure spirit has a pale white face with black circles under her eyes, and a tiny bit of blood drips from her mouth. Its appearance, with blood dripping from its mouth, spelled doom, as it showed the Koreans that the death of any virgin would occur. It was a bad omen, and a majority of Koreans strived to push the pure spirit away by asking all young virgins to get married as virgins. In other instances, the pure spirit appeared crying as b****y tears dripped down her cheeks. All these visitations and appearances were a sign of danger. Mostly the death of a young girl on the homestead. After that, Koreans were to appease their gods and seek mercy, or else they faced its repercussions. Even young girls who dreamt about the virgin ghosts were to undergo a cleansing process, which meant trouble ahead. As Koreans, they had to come up with ways to appease the gods and enjoy life without the fear of Cheonyo Gwisin’s visitation.However, Korean virgin ghosts were once considered indistinguishable from people due to their tidy look. It was very tough for one to identify the presence of a Cheonyo Gwishin among young girls. When young virgins kept increasing, the older women dealing with customs and traditions became concerned and went to search for an oracle to manage the situation. Unfortunately, they could not find any. However, they identified a Cheonyo among virgin girls, which reduced the number of deaths to a more petite figure. Korean Virgin ghosts are well known for haunting abandoned structures, particularly hospitals, schools, restrooms, cemeteries, lakes, dark country roads, and wooded regions. After the older Korean women could quickly identify the pure spirits, they shifted to other places. They found it easy to prey on young virgins while staying in areas like a cabin, abandoned buildings, hospitals, or schools. However, they never stopped killing young virgins for no apparent reason.

The virgin ghosts begin their routine at midnight and perform until daybreak. They almost always have long hair concealing their faces and dress in white. It is thought that humans would notice a rapid shift in temperature and wind direction when they are in the presence of a virgin ghost. However, not all young virgins can monitor such, which leads to many premature deaths among the virgins. Additionally, the pure ghosts are reputed to haunt freshly wedded couples and torment those who have brought them harm with rage and vengeance. They carry disease and accidents. Since ancient times, it has been assumed that when a virgin died, there was a great deal of bitterness. There is a notion that if someone possesses an evil spirit, they will feel intense hatred and be unable to marry. For this reason, in the past, dolls emphasizing male genitalia were built of straw and placed in a coffin, or beauties clothed in men's clothes and buried upside down, out of concern that a virgin would die and become a ghost. The casket was then surrounded by thorns and buried. Putting a male doll emphasizing the genitals in a coffin or wearing men's attire is to comfort them for having contact with men even after they die, and burying the coffin upside down prohibits the spirit from getting out. The act demonstrates how prevalent the dread of virgin ghosts was in the civilian world in the past.Strangely, there are various types of ghosts in Korean culture. The Korean Bachelor Ghost is called Chonggak gwishin, while the female version of the Korean Virgin Ghost is Cheonyeo gwisin). To date, it is believed that the Korean Virgin Ghost may only be exorcised or removed through "soul weddings.” The soul wedding is called yeong hongyeolhonsig, which is a wedding that is held for the cheonyeo (virgin) and Chong AK (bachelor) "couple" so that their souls may rest in peace. Several Koreans practice the yeongmpel hongyeolhonsig wedding to appease spirits and render them powerless. During the ceremony, the Koreans in attendance, with the help of men, build phallic monuments that resemble the male genitals. By so doing, they believe they have bound those hovering spirits and are now living in separate worlds. Other traditional performances encourage hearts to migrate into the afterlife. Libations are carried out, and the shades are asked to rest in peace. After that, they do not expect to receive any disturbances from the notorious spirits. In case the ghosts return, a similar traditional ceremony is done with the help of conventional herbalists with more extraordinary powers.