Traditional vs. New

Many cultures have traditional clothing or dress. People may wear it during a cultural event, holiday or other special occasion, or during a dance.

Traditional clothing in Korea is called hanbok. For men it is the top and pants you see this man wearing. It can be a dress for women. Many times special shoes are worn with a hanbok like the man above is wearing.

The above picture was taken several years ago in the Pusan/Busan area outside a McDonalds. I took it with an old Pentax K-1000 as slide film. I recently scanned the slide.

I was standing outside McDonalds when this gentleman came walking up carrying a piece of cardboard. I wasn’t sure why he was carrying the cardboard, but soon found out the purpose. He used it to sit on. He looked tired. I am not sure how far away he hiked from. The man decided to sit next to Ronald McDonald. I thought it was a nice contrast. Someone in traditional clothes next to a comical figure. Serious vs. not so serious. I imagined this man’s wife told him before he left home not to get his nice hanbok dirty, so he took the cardboard with him to sit on. I would have to say this was one of my favorite images that I took in Korea.

I love seeing different traditional dress. Does your culture have traditional clothes you wear for special occasions?