Korean Job Discussion Forums

[waterbaby]

My elementary students have been coming to school this week with a yellow flower on one or more fingers wrapped in scotch tape. The flower stains their fingers yellow. But why? All I can get from them is "flower... yellow...finger". Does anyone else know why they are doing it? Some kind of science experinment?

[William Beckerson]

Well, I dont think I'll be revealing too many secrets here, but kids are nuts.

[HamuHamu]

This time last year all of the girls had orangey-yellow fingers also, and I've noticed it starting again now. Same here, though -- the only explanation they can offer is "Teacher, flower."
????

[AmusedIndeed]

It goes way way back to the days when Korean girls would pick the flowers to paint their finger nails. It was passed on from generation to generation. I'm surprised that the kids still do this.

I was born and raised in Canada but my mother would tell me stories about how they would do that when she was young. I hope I am not getting the flowers mixed up, but the flower is actually a national symbol of sorts. There is a traditional song that Korean children used to sing about the flower. It is actually very beautiful, and at the same time very sad. The song was banned when the Japanese colonized Korea, and now when it is sung it is sung with a rememberance of the Japanese colonization, and the rough times that the Koreans endured during that period. It has become a song of independence and endurance through hardship. My mother used to cry when she sang that song.

So that flower has special significance in the heart of Koreans.

Anyway, enough of this. Hope this brings some insight.

[hellofaniceguy]

Hey, it's a "child thing." But then again, I have seen adult women doing the same thing! Why!?!?

[AmusedIndeed]

Yeah, I think some adults do it once in a while out of nostalgia or tradition. Like I said, it's got some deeper significance to it. But it's mainly done by young girls.

[OiGirl]

So, for us big girls who want to try it...what is it called, where do you get it, and how do you do it?

[Derrek]

[Cthulhu]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I was led to believe that it had to do with Buddhism...

[Wombat]

The flowers are called "pongsan" in Korean - my romanisation is bad, sorry. They're peach blossoms. Hope this helps.


Wombat

[Pyongshin Sangja]

It's a yearly thing. It's supposed to announce that they are looking for boyfriends. The girls all do it at the same time, if they don't have a boyfriend by the time the dye has disappeared they have failed. No joke.