What are the customs of Korean Dragon Boat Festival?

Speaking of South Korea, the first thing many people think of is Korean TV dramas, celebrities and the like. This shows that South Korea attaches great importance to team culture. As a country deeply influenced by Confucian thought and culture like China, South Korea also attaches great importance to the Dragon Boat Festival. It is far beyond the imagination of Chinese people. Next, I will talk about the customs of South Korea’s Dragon Boat Festival.

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in South Korea. It is one of the four traditional festivals of the nation along with the Spring Festival, Cold Food and Mid-Autumn Festival. In the past, every household in South Korea would eat moxa cake and wash their hair with calamus soup on Dragon Boat Festival. People also wear traditional costumes to participate in sacrifices, performances and sports activities. Women play on swings and men gather for wrestling matches.

However, with the development of society, the Dragon Boat Festival customs that were maintained in many areas of Korea in the past are now remembered and passed down by few people, especially in big cities like Seoul. Although some families still retain the custom of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, due to the restrictions of urban living conditions, there are no longer sports games and wrestling matches. People only symbolically put Aizi cake and other food on the table to make a simple sacrificial platform. , to celebrate.

The only place in South Korea that has preserved the Dragon Boat Festival customs completely is Gangneung, which is located on the coast of the East China Sea. The Gangneung Dano Festival in South Korea originated from the Mountain God Festival in the Silla Dynasty. It was originally a celebration for village farmers to pray for a good harvest and has a history of more than 1000 years. Although the Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival in South Korea is influenced by the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, it has become very different from the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival after years of development and changes.

The sacrificial rituals during the Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival mainly come from myths and legends. The gods they worship are the "Daegwallyeong Mountain God" and the Dong (Village) City God. There are as many as twelve deified figures, such as Jin Yushin, Guoshi City God "Ban "The Imperial Master of Japan", the daughter of the Imperial Master of Daegwallyeong, Chenghuang Zheng's daughter, etc.

The process of Gangneung Dano Festival begins with brewing the sacred wine. On April 5th of the lunar calendar, people use the rice and rice malt distributed by the old Gangneung government office to brew sacred wine, which they worship and drink in preparation for the Dragon Boat Festival; on April 15th, the "Daegwallyeongsan God Festival" and "National Wine Festival" are held. "Shichenghuang Sacrifice".

After the sacrifice, a piece of sacred wood is cut, and people hang the green and red satin on it. Then, under the guidance of the sacred tree, they form a procession to welcome the gods. At the evening of the third day of the fifth lunar month, they return to Jiangling Guoshinu City God's Temple (Zheng Jianu) Accept the "Fengan Sacrifice", which is the "eve sacrifice" of the Dragon Boat Festival. After the sacrifice, the tablets of the Daegwallyeong Mountain God and the King’s Seonghuang were sent to the Namdaecheon Open-Air Sacrifice. From the fourth to the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, a "libation offering" is held every morning.

The sacrificial rituals of Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival are divided into two types: "Confucian sacrificial ritual" and "Shamanistic sacrificial ritual". Confucian rituals are performed in the form of reciting Chinese prayers. The content of the rituals involves removing misfortune and bringing good fortune, health and tranquility, cure of diseases, good harvest of agriculture and fishery, and prosperity of livestock and poultry, etc. After the Confucianism Festival, the "Shamanistic Sacrifice" accompanied by singing, dancing and drama performances began until late at night.

The atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival is strong in rural areas. On the fifth day of May, the whole family will wear traditional Korean clothes and gather together to eat and chat; traditional foods include wheel pancakes, similar to our pancakes, made of millet, corn, etc. Zongzi is fried with starch and coriander, green onions, etc., but they don't eat rice dumplings. Game activities include swinging, etc. In addition, there are some folk performances such as official slave mask dance drama and folk singing. Swinging is more common, but dragon boat racing is not used.

Koreans like to stick banners written with yellow paper and red letters on the wall of the main room or attic at noon of the Dragon Boat Festival. This banner is called the "Dragon Boat Festival" and its purpose is to drive away the bad luck of the year and protect the safety of the family.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, it is also a popular custom in Korea for relatives and friends to give each other "Dragon Boat Fans". Since the Dragon Boat Festival falls in summer, fans can drive away the heat and bring a bit of coolness to people. It is said that during the Lee Dynasty, people in the court would make homemade fans as tribute to the emperor; among the people, it was also a popular custom to make fans as gifts to elders, and the elders would also give fans to each other and wish each other good health.