DANO FESTIVAL What is DANO FESTIVAL Its also

DANO FESTIVAL ( 단오)

What is DANO FESTIVAL (단오)? It’s also called Surit-nal (수릿날) • Which means high day or the day of god. The word surit harks back to • suri, meaning "wheel, " which is why the rice cakes were marked with a wheel pattern In Korea, odd numbers are very important. In the Korean calendar, there • are festivals held on 1 st day of the 1 st month, 3 rd day of the 3 rd month and now Dano is on the 5 th day of the 5 th month of the Lunar Calendar. Dano is also believed to be the day where the positive energy force (yang), is considered to be at its peak. Dano falls just before Summer so it’s a way for farmers to pray for the • harvest to be fruitful that year after all the seeds have been sown. Because this festival also falls in May/June time when Asia often experiences monsoon weather, rituals are performed in the hopes that illnesses can be prevented and families will be kept healthy as the monsoon rain fall can result in diseases spreading.

Habits that are held in Dano (단오) day In the Mahan confederacy of ancient • Korea It was a day of spiritual rites, and • enjoyment with song, dance, and wine Traditionally, women washed their hair • in water boiled with Sweet Flag (changpo (창포)), believed to make one's hair shiny. People wore blue and red clothes and • dyed hairpins red with the iris roots. Men wore iris roots around their waist • to ward off evil spirits.

Traditional foods in Dano (단오) day Suritteok and Yaktteok are the • major dishes for the Dano season. Mugwort leaves are cooked and put into non-glutinous rice and kneaded together to make a green and cartwheel shaped Suri rice cake. Yaktteok are rice cakes that are made with various weeds and can be found in the South Jeolla Province. During the Dano season where cherries flourish, many people enjoy cherry punch and children eat fried rice and corn for snacks. In addition, memorial services implemented this day are decorated with newly made mugwort rice cakes.

The persisting folk games of Dano (단오) day The persisting folk games of Dano are the swing, ssireum ( 씨름), • stone battle game seokjeon and taekkyon ( 택견). The swing was a game played by women, while ssireum was a wrestling match among men. In addition, mask dance used to be popular among peasants due to its penchant for satirical lyrics flouting local aristocrats.

Special Cultural Event The special cultural events are divided into eight different • programs, each of which presented at different locations. Starting with the brewing of liquor on the 4 th of April according to the lunar calendar, the entire process lasts for a month until the 5 th of May. The programs that are open to the general public are exorcism rituals and farmers’ band performance at the birthplace of the deity of Mt. Daegwallyeong (gyeongbang daek) near Namdaecheon Stream in Gangneung, as well as various other programs. The townspeople then move on through the streets of the town to Namdaecheon, where shamanistic rituals and mask drama are held. Events known as sinju bitgi and the sanshin (mountain spirit) ceremony are held at Daegwallyeong Ridge. They start a month ahead of the main festival period, which makes it difficult for visitors to attend.

Special Cultural Event Brewing of the sacred liquor Memorial service for the mountain deities Memorial service for the male and female tutelary deities Dano exorcism Procession to the venue of the Dano Procession down the mountain Confucian sacrificial rites Burning of ritual objects

Nighttime Programs The festival takes on a different look in the • evening. The venue and its surroundings, bustle with people there to see the exorcism or participate in a hands-on program during the day. The site turns into a huge food market with snack stalls and all kinds of entertainment. The bright lights of the area burns late into the night, so if you are hungry or wish for some excitement, this is definitely the place to be. Beautiful fireworks will illuminate the night skies over Namdaecheon, creating a spectacular night view. If you come to town all the way just to see the festival, you will definitely regret it if you go to bed early. Most festival venues will be trafficcontrolled in the evening and there are lots of things that will please your eyes and taste buds. Fireworks Market Street at night Namdaecheon Night View

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