Clap for the fun and clap for the rhythm at the 2015 Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi Festival

(October 7 – 11, 2015) Anseong Machum Land

Gyeonggi Province’s Intangible Cultural Assets (ICAs) are all here!

How many ICAs does Gyeonggi Province have?

Which specific ICAs does Gyeonggi Province have?

All the ICAs in Gyeonggi Province are represented here at the Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Assets Grand Festival.

To celebrate the first anniversary of the registration of Namhansanseong Fortress as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gyeonggi Province hosted the 2015 Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Assets Grand Festival.

The festival gathered all ICAs from across Gyeonggi Province under the slogan ‘The Beat of Tradition, Sculpting the Spirit’ and fostered a festive atmosphere to mark the first anniversary of Namhansanseong’s registry as a UNESCO World Heritage Site while also enhancing public awareness of designated ICAs in Gyeonggi Province. 

Tradition and history infuse our collective spirit through time and create culture. At times, traditional culture is designated as a cultural asset which assumes the role of preserving continuing values.

These events also aim to give pride and self-esteem to those who function as guardians of ICAs and stimulate the transmission of traditional culture at a time when doing so is difficult. 

The Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Assets Grand Festival ran for two days from September 19 to 20 at the Suwon Hwaseong Temporary Palace square.

It provided an opportunity to get to know cultural assets in our neighborhood with which we weren’t previously familiar.

Through the Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Assets Grand Festival, let’s take a look at what sort of ICAs are found across Gyeonggi Province, something we need to know as residents of Gyeonggi Province.

The event also offered entertainment in the form of exhibitions and demonstrations of the ICAs found in Gyeonggi Province, and it also was a place to enjoy ICA performances.

Performance programs for music, dancing, games, and rituals as well as food were featured at the festival. Live demonstrations were also held in front of spectators.

Ten performances including Gyeonggi Province ICA No. 15 Guri galmaedong dodanggut, Gwangmyeong nongak, Anseong namsadangnori, Gyeonggi geummu, Gyeonggi songseo, Paju geumsanri minyo, Yangpyeong sangyeohwaedajisori, Toegyewon sandaenori, Pyeongtaek minyo, and Goyang songpo homigeori were scheduled for the first day.

On the second day, Gwacheon mudongdapgyonori, Yangju nongak, Pulpiri, Dongducheon minyo, Pocheon menari, Anseong hyangdangmu, Icheon geobuknori, Gimpo tongjin durenori, Seungmu, and Gyeonggisori were showcased. 

Spectators couldn’t take their eyes off of the ‘Eoreunsani’ during his fist-clenching tightrope performance, which was done as an aerial stunt during the Anseong namsadang nori.

A tightrope performance by Eoruemsani as part of Angyeong namsadaongori was carried out with various instruments such as pungmul, beona, salpan, eoreum, deotboegi and deolmi.

The performances staged on both days were spectacular.

It’s a fact that we don’t have nearly enough time to see traditional performances.

The lack of performance venues, regular events, the difficulty of getting to performance venues on special occasions, and the limited number of performance types available put traditional cultural performances at a disadvantage. However, the Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Assets Grand Festival was a special opportunity to see all the ICAs across Gyeonggi Province in one place.

Rituals like the Guri galmae dodanggut, a village rite for the well-being and prosperity of the community which was unique in that it was performed in spring. Gwangmyeong nongak was a good example of nongaknori in the southwestern parts of Gyeonggi Province with its rapid tempo as well as its exciting and changeable composition. Other performances like the Paju guemsanri minyo were carried out with musical instruments and songs and kept audience members engaged throughout.  

If tradition is echoed through performances, people are able to meet the world of traditional culture created with dedication and spirit.

Unique traditional liquors such as Gyemyeongju, Gunpo dangjeong okroju, and Namhansanseong soju as well as other forms of Korean culture regardless of field such as Soegak, Najeonchilgi, Bangja Yugi, Okjang, Somokjang, Sagijang, Seokjang, Juseongjang, and Jasujang were also available.

The distinct taste of Gyemyeongju is different from other traditional liquors currently sold on the market. 

People enjoyed performances, exhibitions, and activities at the festival.

Worries of how to enjoy the ICAs were totally unnecessary. 

“I want to try it too.”

Promoting Korean traditional culture to help people understand it better is one way to preserve, convey, and develop traditional culture. 

Spinning looms and waterwheels takes us one step closer to our culture.

We appreciate and learn traditional culture through activities.

If we can’t experience such things directly, we see how master craftsmen undertake their work in order to better understand their crafts.

With the Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Assets Grand Festival taking place at Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung Temporary Palace, visiting the Temporary Palace and walking along the trail around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress for a trip back in time provides another way of enjoying the festival.

With this festival, people were able to once again recognize the fact that Namhansanseong Fortress is a proud and invaluable cultural asset that is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Above all, it was great to learn that there were so many ICAs across Gyeonggi Province, and it was gratifying to see that these assets were being passed on well.

We should strive to preserve our ICAs and pass them on to future generations. 

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