The bustling streets of the carols, the trees that reveal their individuality, the sparkling lights, the people who are busy walking. All those scenery we call Christmas. By the way, for 10 years, there is a village to celebrate Christmas with a little different from that of the city center. At this time of year, the main character is Naju Isl Village, which simply renovates country roads and promotes harmony between residents and other tourists. After successfully hosting Happy Christmas in the Isle Village in the winter of 2007, let's go to the Isle Village, which has become the first Christmas village in Korea.

Dew Village is a small country village north of Naju, located at the foot of Byeongpung Mountain. Its official name is Yangcheon-ri, Yangan-ri, Noan-myeon, but it is called dew village because the dew leaves well on the blade of grass every morning. The fort is more famous for its Christmas village than for its dewy village. The Santa mural painted on the wall of the village entrance also reveals the identity of the village. Even the café is operated under the name 'Christmas Cafe' throughout the four seasons. In 2007, the Christmas festival was held to increase farm incomes and develop differentiated village festivals. Last year, more than 5,000 people gathered during the festival. Only the villagers' power has completely changed the rural landscape.

The Christmas festival in the village is the result of a good balance between environmental conditions and the characteristics of the residents. In the middle of the village is the Presbyterian Church, the first Catholic church in Naju, where residents made trees and decorated the cathedral every Christmas. It seems that this support was possible because most of the residents were Catholics. Dew Village plans to develop the festival into Naju's representative winter festival starting in 2017, when it celebrates its 10th anniversary with pride of being the country's first village Christmas festival venue.

This year's Happy Christmas Festival is held in the village of Isle Village for five days from December 21st to 25th as 'Christmas Light Festival'. The center of the festival is also the Presbyopia. Jeong-rak, who fled from Seoul to escape persecution in 1894, operated a drugstore and evangelized the residents one by one. Later, through the hands of several brides, a parish was built, expanded and newly built, and now has its present appearance in 1957. The archetype was relatively well preserved and was designated as Registered Cultural Property # 44 in 2002. The presbyopian cathedral with light bulbs along the border of the building is as fantastic as a princess's house in a fairy tale. It is not magnificent or gorgeous, but I like the simple and cozy look that resembles a dewy village. The atmosphere of the day Jesus was born would have been like this.

Unbelievable stories about the cathedral are also told. During the Korean War, the People's Army occupied Naju and ordered it to be burned, but the soldiers saw it burning red and reiterated that it was already burned. Stories about the illusions that prevented the damage of the cathedral were introduced in magazines and made known to many people. Whether this is true or not, after seeing the story, the presbyopia looks different from the beginning. Perhaps this is the best Christmas village with a holy spirit.

If you pay the entrance fee of 5,000 won in cash, you can fully enjoy Christmas in the village. Children under 7 are free. Major programs include Santa tractor rides, candle making, wish postcards, and straw slides. Even if it doesn't seem like a big deal, the women's council's senior citizens' meetings are all prepared by hand. Just because we've laid straws on the slides for the children's injuries can tell us how they have prepared for the festival.

From 6 pm, you can watch a small performance performed by talent donations of Naju citizens. Nanta, Janggu, Gugak, Ocarina, Ukulele, Acoustic Guitar, Magic, and many other genres. The light sculptures that make up the photo zone are lit from 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm. You can explore the space divided by various themes such as the rose garden and the garden of light, or visit the simple exhibition of photo exhibitions and LED works. If you go out, you can fill your stomach at the dewy local food market. Isle Village Farm Specialty Sales Center is also operated.

There is plenty to do even if you visit the village after the Christmas festival. Dew Village was an experience village that operated various rural experience programs before becoming a Christmas village. Since being designated as a green farming experience village in 2004, the number of visitors has increased significantly. There are also seasonal programs such as planting seedlings in spring, bamboo water pistols, potato digging, corn harvesting, pepper picking, hand planting, rice threshing in the fall, and sweet potato digging in the spring. There are also experiences such as sesame leaf kimchi making, seasoning rice cake, making straw bales and natural dyeing. There is also a campsite and a guest house in the village, so it's easy to hear without worrying about your stay.

Naju Dew Village
-Address: 119 Isolchon-gil, Noan-myeon, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do
Contact: 061-335-0123

http://www.eslfarm.com/mall/index.php

※ The above information was written in December 2016, and may change afterwards. Please check before traveling.
※ The information such as text, photos and videos used in this article is copyrighted by Korea Tourism Organization, so unauthorized use of the article is prohibited.