Enthralling Andong Mask Dances...

And here we are at the Andong Mask Dance Festival, at the edge of Hahoe Folk Village...

The arena was teeming with local and foreign tourists...

And the performances begin...

The festival is held every year at the beginning of fall...

Some of the performances had quite a shamanistic feel to them...

The assault!

The performances were accompanied by raucous Korean drumbeats and an enthusiastic cheering by the crowds...

Interaction with the audience...

And the audience participates...

The audience enjoys themselves...

Tea Ceremony At Andong...

While walking through Hahoe, we came across a tiny hanok where there was an ongoing tea ceremony...

Waiting to be served...

Order and precision...

Little green-tea cookies and cups waiting for our tea to get ready... 

And we are almost there...

And here we are...

A Walk Through Hahoe...

And here we are in the charming Hahoe Folk Village...

Hahoe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a traditional village that dates to the Joseon Dynasty. The name of the village comes from 'Ha' - a short for river and 'hoe' means to 'turn around, return, come back'...

The village preserves Joseon period-style architecture, folk traditions, valuable books and an old tradition of clan-based villages...

A house from 1836...

A charming house...

A thick straw thatch - for sure it keeps the elements at bay...

What's around the bend?

And here we are at this holy tree - a great 600 years old zelkova tree stands at the highest point in the village...

The tree is called Samsindang in which a goddess called Samsin is believed to reside... 

The goddess ‘Samsin’ governs pregnancy and childbirth. Thus, the tree is known as ‘Samsindang’, and is treated as a sacred place...

A green corner...

Men in traditional attire...

A calligraphist at work...