There are few times in life when I believe it is appropriate for a group of friends to wear bright and matching outfits, disregard the personal space and solitude of others in public and obnoxiously sing childish songs while moving from one drinking establishment to another. One of these times would have to be Seoul Santacon.
A few short weeks ago I made my way into Seoul along with a couple hundred other holiday revelers to socialize, sing and sip soju for an evening. I thought I was prepared and festive donning a red scarf and Rudolph ears, but I was surprised to find most people decked head to toe in Santa garb. After a few drinks at Beer O’Clock in Sinchon, Seoul’s center of young nightlife, a sea of red and white slowly made its way to a nearby subway station where soju was shared and merriment was had. Koreans armed with smartphones proudly captured the chaotic scene of Santas singing off-key and sometimes incomplete Christmas songs. I never thought Rudolph could be butchered so gruesomely. With a group so large, some songs were commenced and quickly forgotten when other lyrics drifted onto the scene. The caroling petered out when the subway reached Hongdae and we made our way to the appropriately named HO Bar (“Ho Ho Ho!”) where we danced, mingled and listened to Mariah repeatedly inform us of her Christmas list.
Although the night was one of this winter’s coldest (so far) and we spent most of it inside bars and clubs, I most enjoyed the short half hour of travel from Sinchon to Hongdae via the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Being an expat in Korea can sometimes be a bit lonely, but a tipsy and merry song and dance to and through the subway with a family of fellow foreigners leaves one feeling joyous and determined to spread the holiday spirit. Because we all know: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.
I would divulge more detail of the social movements through the bars and clubs of Hongdae, but Santa told me to be good for goodness sake…
How To Travel: Santa sans Sleigh
Step One: Make sure you pay your way…the other Santas know if you’ve been bad or good.
Step Two: Wait around until a responsible looking Santa steps up and leads the way through the station.
Step Three: Try to enjoy the ride, Rudolph is loving his night off.
Filed under: seoul Tagged: carol, Christmas, friends, holiday, korea, merry, music, night out, party, public transportation, Santa, Santacon, seoul, seoul subway, sing, soju
