Jwibullori

What it is

Jwibullori is a Korean folk game of fire and light. Players tie a can or a small basket to a strong string, put burning material inside, and whirl it so the flames draw bright rings in the dark. Children spin their cans against each other to see whose fire burns best. The play belongs to the first full moon of the lunar year, a holiday in Korea, but it also goes with the field fires lit around New Year. Those fires burn the dry cover on farmland so that rats and insects lose their shelter, and they are meant to ask for good health as well.

Field fires and history

The custom grew out of a simple farm practice. The day before New Year's Day, people set the dry grass of the paddy ridges alight. Youths in each village laid straw along the banks of the fields nearby, and at sunset they lit it together to burn the weeds away. The article calls this a national custom, not only one of Chungcheong province. The can version is newer. According to the testimonies of older people, it came from the spread of cans after the Korean War, when tinned food sent in as military supplies was reused as a plaything and folded into the older fire game.

How it is kept

Villagers gather in a wide field, or one where fire is unlikely to spread, often at a place where sheaves are burned. Young people take part, and the play goes on until midnight. Players drill holes in an empty can, fix about a metre of wire to each side for a handle, pack the can with sticks or other fuel and light it. Swinging the wire feeds the fire with air. Villages have been known to compete over whose flames rise higher, since a strong fire was thought to be a good sign. At the end, the fire is carried to the farmland.

Jeju and other places

Jeju Island keeps its own form. There, people burn the rangeland of Mount Hallasan during February, a practice named Hwaip. On the island rats are called daughter-in-law, since saying the word mouse is thought to invite trouble, and there are also rules against showing a divination sign or starching clothes on the day of the mouse. Because fire is dangerous there, jwibullori is not allowed and pests are treated with pesticide instead. The article also notes field burning among farmers in southern China and Europe, and a Chinese event on 2 February, when ashes are scattered from the kitchen door to prevent insect damage.

Today and change

The game is played less often than it once was, yet it still appears in many New Year's Eve celebrations. Children now make their fire-cans from wire and tinned cans, drilling the holes themselves. When the fuel has burned down to embers near midnight, the can is thrown into the air so the embers scatter and glitter, a gesture of sending away bad luck and welcoming good luck, much like flying a kite on New Year's Day. Jwibullori has also been engraved on gold coins issued for the Pyeongchang Olympic Games, alongside other pictures of traditional play.

How Jwibullori is kept

Village youths and children are the usual players. Straw or dry grass is laid along field ridges, or fuel is packed into a can. Fires are lit at sunset, all at once. Players whirl cans or torches on strings, and villages compete to raise the biggest fire, since a strong blaze is taken as a good sign. Play continues until midnight, often in a wide field or where sheaves are burned. Then the fire is set on the farmland to clear pests and rats. Near midnight the can is tossed up to scatter the embers.

When and where

The game belongs to the first full moon of the lunar year, a national holiday in Korea, and to the field fires lit around New Year. The day before New Year's Day is when the older custom of burning paddy ridges was practised. On Jeju the burning of the Hallasan rangeland happens in February.

Jwibullori is a Korean custom, and the article calls the field burning a national one rather than the practice of a single province, though Chungcheong province is named. Youths in villages across the country took part. Jeju Island has its own version, tied to the rangeland of Mount Hallasan, and the article compares it with field burning in southern China and Europe.

What Jwibullori means

The fire does practical work and carries meaning at the same time. Burning dead grass takes away the shelter of rats and insects, which is meant to help the harvest, and the flames are also thought to burn off the old year's misfortune so that good fortune can come in. People read the size of the village fire as a sign of the year ahead. The game brings neighbours together and welcomes the New Year.

Questions people ask about Jwibullori

See also

JegichagiA paper shuttlecock kicked and kept in the air, a winter game for Korean childrenYunnoriA Korean board and stick-tossing game played with tokens during the Lunar New YearWater lanternSmall lamps floated on water to honour the dead and ask for good fortuneChinese knottingA folk craft of cord tied into lucky shapes, made in China and given as charms

Good reading and sources

• Jwibullori on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.