The Beauty of a 60th Wedding Anniversary
(Published August 06, 2012)

Grand anniversary ceremonies: The 250^th anniversary of Dasan’s birth and a reenactment of ‘Dasan’s Banquet’ (60^th wedding anniversary).

◇ Museum of Silhak performed a historic reenactment of a 60^th Wedding anniversary at the Poet’s Garden in conjunction with the 250^th anniversary of Dasan’s birth on August 4th. ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang

The bride is bashful, wearing her bridal headpiece and sporting rouge on her cheeks. The bridegroom cuts a striking figure, gazing at her lovingly, wearing a samo (traditional hat) on his head. The couple drinks from their nuptial cups as they vow to love each other eternally. The cups are made from two halves of a gourd, which represent their being the only halves in the whole world that can form a perfect whole together. This timeless vision of a couple admiring each other is little different from the spectacle provided by the modern weddings of their descendants. The whole, proud family gathers together in one place to applaud their parents’ 60^th wedding anniversary.

A 60^th wedding anniversary, where an elderly couple who have spent 60 years together can enjoy a great banquet… it’s an occasion when family and close friends gather together to congratulate the elderly couple as they prepare their wedding clothes and reenact their marriage ceremony.◇ Vice Governor Lee Jae-yul, Gyeonggi Provincial Council Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee Chairman Kim Kyeong-pyo, and Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation Chairman Ohm Ki-yeong enthuse over the officiator as he prays for the long life of the elderly people participating in the 60^th wedding anniversary celebration. . ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang

At 5pm on August 4th at the Museum of Silhak, a reenactment of a 60th wedding anniversary celebration was conducted to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Dasan’s birth. The original 60^th wedding anniversary celebration was prepared by Dasan himself to ruminate on the 60 years he had spent together with his wife and to muse on the time he had left. Dasan prepared the ceremony, but closed his eyes and passed away on the morning of his anniversary, February 22^nd, 1836 (2^nd year of the reign of King Heonjong).

To honor the 60-year marriage of Dasan and his wife, who lived at the Poet’s Garden in Namyangju, the Museum of Silhak threw a banquet for eight elderly couples at the historic location. The invitees included Jeong Ho-yeong, Dasan’s great grandson (Director General of EBS Business) and his wife, a descendent of the teacher Kim Yuk (penname: Jamgok), and the descendants of other Confucian scholars.

The event was attended by around 500 people, including Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Jae-yul, Committee Chairman Kim Kyeong-pyo, Foundation Chairman Ohm Ki-yeong and other people with connections to the anniversary, along with their families. Vice Governor Lee Jae-yul said, “Today was a very meaningful day, an enjoyable commemoration of Dasan’s 250 year birth anniversary.” He added: “I offer my sincere congratulations to all of Korea’s elderly citizens, including those who are celebrating their 60^th wedding anniversary”.◇ Vice Governor Lee Jae-yul delivers a congratulatory message. . ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang

Additionally, Foundation Chairman Ohm Ki-yeong said, “The poem inscribed on the glass cup is an expression of Dasan’s passion and respect for his wife of 60 years.” He added: “I offer my sincerest congratulations to the many couples who have made it to the 60-year mark in their marriage”.

Among the couples observing their 60^th wedding anniversary, certain ones stood out. One husband and wife who had come especially from Namyangju to participate in the anniversary celebrations said: “We also thought we’d been living together for a long time, but coming here makes us realize that we still have a long way to go.” They continued cheerily: “Observing these beautiful couples makes us resolve to emulate them”.

As expected, the families of the participants were filled with emotion. Husband and wife Kim Dong-su and Lee Jin-i (from Nakseongdae-dong, Seoul), son of the husband and wife Kim Jin-ung and Son Gi-sun, said, “This celebration causes me to think about the distant future,” adding happily, “We just want to live exactly as our grandparents did before us.”

Dressed up in her beautiful, purple hanbok, married immigrant Mrs. Rahtree Suksai had brought along her father-in-law, mother-in-law, husband, and two daughters to the event to celebrate 60 years of marriage. She expressed her sentiments thus: “There were many difficult aspects involved in coming all the way from Thailand to get married, but looking at the happy lives of my parents gives me strength.”◇ Scene of the historic reenactment of a 60^th wedding anniversary celebration. . ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang

Prior to this, in keeping with the anniversary of Dasan’s birth, the grand ritual celebrating Dasan’s birth was carried out at the Mundosa (Dasan’s shrine) at 3pm on August 4th. Vice Governor Lee Jae-yul assumed the role of choheongwan (the first person to raise their glass of spirits when conducting a Jongmyo Ritual); Committee Chairman Kim Kyeong-pyo took the role of aheongwan (the second person to raise their glass of spirits), and Foundation Chairman Ohm Ki-yeong took the role of jongheongwan (the third person to raise their glass of spirits). Additionally, those observing the ritual bowed down on their knees as an expression of courtesy.◇ Vice Governor Lee Jae-yul, Chairman Kim Kyeong-pyo, and Chairman Ohm Ki-yeong take on the heogwan roles and conduct the grand ritual of Dasan’s birthday at the Mundosa Shrine on August 4^th. ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang◇ Vice Governor Lee Jae-yul partakes of his drink, representing the citizens in his role of grand ritual choheongwan. . ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang

Recently, ‘Dasan’s Banquet’ has become more widely known due to its selection as a 2012 global UNESCO event for the commemoration of selected historic figures, along with the 250^th anniversary of Dasan’s birth, which was celebrated at Namyangju City, Gyeonggi Province, at the Dasan historical site and at the Museum of Silhak. In addition, the ‘Dasan experience performance’, ‘Silhak quiz’ and ‘Dasan musical concert’ were held from 10am on the 4th. On August 5^th, an official greeting, the Toegyewon Sandaenori and Dasan Musical concert, and Samulnori with B-Boy performance dedicated to celebrating the anniversary of Dasan’s birth were met with a great response. Approximately 20,000 people are estimated to have attended the two-day ‘Dasan’s Banquet’ event.

ⓒ G-News Plus News / Rohh Kyeong-hui / khrohh@kg21.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201208061317227055C049&s_code=C049