Buchae (Hand Fan), is a tool for creating wind by shaking it with the hand, and was used to relieve heat or to fan a fire. Fans are largely classified into round form of Banggu Buchae (Danseon) and foldable Jeobbuchae (Jeobseon) depending on the shape, and were usually made of Hanji (traditional handmade Korean paper) and bamboo. In Korea, there is a festival called Dano held in June, and in the past when there was no electricity, there was a culture of giving Buchae as a gift to cousins and younger people on this day. Summer begins around Dano, so Buchae is given with the hope that the person receiving it would be able to overcome the heat with it. Then, the person who received the Buchae used to write or paint on it for decoration. Later, in recognition of the artistic value of the paintings and writings on the Buchae, people separated the paper from the slats of the Buchae and framed it for preservation. You can decorate the round traditional Korean hand fan(Banggu Buchae) using gold gilt and complete a Buchae that features glittering butterfly and flower patterns.
