Haenyeo "Mermaid of the Sea" 💗🫶🏻🐟🌊

Haenyeo (haenyeo) is registered as an intangible cultural property. They dive to collect food around the coast of Jeju Island in a traditional way. Some people call them "mermaids of the sea". In Japan, there is a profession called "ama" (a female diver). The origin of Haenyeo dates back to the 17th century. On Jeju Island, there were not many ingredients for cooking. Men had to go out to sea to catch seafood, which could take many days. Many men died in the middle of the sea. Women living on the island had to help collect food around the coast to show that they were no less strong than the men. The costume of Haenyeo in the past was loose and easy on the eyes. There was a rule that men could not stare at them. However, the costume of Haenyeo today is a tight, full-body black costume similar to a diver's. Equipment includes goggles, sickle, net bag and lead stones to weigh them down when diving. Some dives are almost a hundred meters deep, but Haenyeo can dive without oxygen tanks, showing how strong they are. The food collected is diverse, such as seaweed, abalone, sea urchin, octopus, etc., reflecting the abundance of the sea. #jeju #korea #south korea