As the autumn peak season for weddings arrives, competition for wedding hall reservations is intensifying in North Korea, with mid- and lower-tier venues offering package options that have made hall ceremonies more accessible to families across income levels.
A Daily NK source in North Pyongan province said recently that reservations “are flooding into wedding halls in the Sinuiju area for autumn” and that auspicious days — so-called handless days — are entirely booked through January.
Koreans believe that “hands” — demons or evil spirits — disappear into the heavens on days that end in 9 or 0 according to the lunar calendar (the 9th, 10th, 19th, 20th, 29th or 30th day of the month). Because there are only five or six such days a month, demand for wedding reservations spikes on handless days in September, October and November. As a result, wedding halls get booked out on those days, the source said.
On these auspicious, demon-free days, demand for wedding space has climbed so much that venues host three or more weddings a day. As a result, new wedding methods have arisen, such as couples performing their ceremonies on handless days and holding their receptions later.
“An acquaintance didn’t really care about fortune telling, but they still checked out several wedding halls because they wanted their child to get married on an auspicious day,” the source said. “However, as the handless days were all booked, they couldn’t even get a spot by paying a premium and ultimately reserved a date in January.”
Package deals replace home preparations
“In the past, people commonly got married at home, but now, many low- and mid-tier venues are in operation, so it’s more common to rent a wedding hall,” the source said. “In particular, venues offer packages that include wedding attire, wedding food, photo and video shoots and transportation, and with prices varying between $300 and $1,000, more people are using wedding halls for the sake of convenience and practicality.”
In the past, weddings were pure drudgery as families had to prepare everything down to the details — the ceremonial attire, food, photos and transportation. Now, however, with wedding halls systematically planning and organizing everything, people feel that weddings have become much easier.
“When wedding halls first appeared, people believed only rich families could use them, but now, many cheaper places that can arrange things according to your standards or budget exist, and you can choose what you like, so many people use them,” the source said.
However, since low-income families cannot afford even the low- or mid-tier wedding halls, some people still consider a wedding hall ceremony an indicator of a family’s wealth.
“Some people think it’s a good trend that more and more couples use wedding halls, but poor people think it’s a bad trend that forces them to compare their circumstances with those of others,” the source said.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: dailynk.com
