▲ People make wishes by writing them down and attaching them to lanterns around the festival venue. Photo by Yang Ho Geun

Nestled in between Daeseol (“Big Snow” — a day on the lunar calendar traditionally seen as the harbinger of the largest snowfall of the year) and Dongji (“Peak of Winter” — the winter solstice), is a colorful lantern festival situated in the heart of Jeju City’s business district, near the ocean at Ildo 1-dong.

This year’s 3rd Sanjicheon Lantern Festival was held from Dec. 10 to Dec. 15. Symbolically bringing water and light together to represent hope, it started when residents tried to brighten up a somewhat deteriorating part of the city during the cold and dark winter months.

On opening night the weather was cooperative — though windy — and unusually warm, allowing hundreds of people to enjoy the opening ceremonies. Young people, families and older visitors strolled down the elevated platform set in the stream bed, walking over the water and past brightly-colored lanterns in the shapes of well known cartoon and folk characters.

Unfortunately, Jeju’s classic winter weather of drizzle and windy conditions set in on Sunday, putting a damper on the scheduled performance of Nanta, a youth concert, Gayageum performance and more.

Though not a large festival, Sanjicheon is fast becoming quite well known on the island. While there have been other area renovation projects in the last decades, this festival — a grassroots movement to reinvigorate the neighborhood — seems to be the most successful and fun for all.