Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Piles of Stones




Walking around the side of a building, we were treated to a rather large display of mini stone sculptures left by visitors. Each was comprised of irregular stones ranging from the size of a hand down to a pebble, carefully stacked up to nine stones high. These were placed on the elevated ground, on larger rocks, and on the ceramic tiles of the perimeter wall. Asking my Korean friend what they signified, she briefly explained that these toltops were formed by people seeking good fortune. Each stone might represent a particular wish, or (as a website further added) or a family member. She added that while a person created their stack, they would have to be very careful not to topple another person’s toltop, as this would bring bad luck to such a clumsy stacker. 

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