The traditional Dano Festival or Danoje, Korea's third largest traditional festival, falls on June 8. Related events are scheduled countrywide.

Also called “Surinal” in Korean, Dano falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Traditionally, Koreans have believed that Dano is the oldest holiday, which marks the beginning of the summer, and is a day to pray for favorable farming weather.

In the past, Koreans washed their hair in "changpo water" (water boiled with sweet iris leaves) on Dano day and ate rice cakes named “surichi ddeok” made with various herbs known to be traditional Dano food.

Among many Dano festivals across the country, Gangneung's Danoje Festival, the longest running festival in that east coast city since the time of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), is considered the most popular and historically rich traditional Korean festival. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated it as an intangible cultural asset.

During the eight-day program from June 4 to 11, traditional cultural events as well as folk experience events will be held at Danojang around Namdaecheon for this year's Festival, according to the Gangneung City office and the festival organizing committee.

The main parts of the 2008 Gangneung Danoje Festival include the Yeongsinje (ritual of enshrining the two gods on the Dano altar) and Yeongsin Haengcha at Danojang on June 6, the Dano-gut on June 7-11 at Danojang altar, the Gwanno mask dance on June 7-11 at Dano-madang and Songsinje (farewell to the gods ritual) on June 11 at Danojang altar.

Visitors can enjoy various traditional activities associated with Dano: riding swings and hair washing for women and ssireum (traditional wrestling), making traditional Dano food and mask dancing for men.

Tourists can also try old folk games, including tuho, a traditional game played by throwing arrows into a jar, yunnori, a traditional game of throwing wooden sticks, and tug-of-war, which will be also held throughout the eight-day program at different locations around the Danoje festival venue.

On June 7, the spirits move from the mountains to the Dano Festival area of Namdaecheon. This is known as the Yeongsin-haengcha. The festival begins with the townspeople walking alongside the spirits through the streets of the town. Two spirits walk in the direction of Namdaecheon and stay at an altar there for five days. During this period, people come to worship the spirits and a female shaman holds an exorcism to ward off misfortune and disease. The female shaman also prays for a plentiful harvest. On the final day of Dano, the spirits begin their journey back towards the mountain. 

The festival will also entertain tourists with performances of some intangible cultural assets recognized by UNESCO – Jongmyo-jerye-ak and pansori – and some nationally designated intangible cultural assets including Namsadang, nongak (farmers' music) and Bukcheong Sajanori (Lion Dance of Bukcheong).

Jongmyo-jerye-ak is a Confucian ritual and music dedicated to the ancestors of the Joseon dynasty and was practiced once a year on the first Sunday in May. It is still organized by the descendants of the royal family. Pansori is a genre of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer. Namsadang represents a professional class of traveling entertainers who served the role of mass entertainment for their rural, pre-modern Korean audiences during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Korea. Bukcheong Sajanori is performed by a group of dancers who do various kinds of lion dances to ward off evil spirits.

Dano became the nation's third UNESCO-recognized piece of intangible cultural heritage, following Jongmyo-jerye-ak and Pansori. The latter two were designated in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

More information about the Gangneung Danoje Festival is available at 02-1330 or 033-1330 with English language service available. Click here for more detailed information about transportation.

* How to go to Gangneung from Seoul by bus
- Go to the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, Seoul Express Bus Terminal or Seoul Sangbong Terminal and buy a bus ticket to Gangneung (bus fares vary from 12,600 to 18,400).
- It takes 3.2 hours from Dong Seoul or Seoul Express Terminal, 4.2 hours from Seoul Sangbong Terminal)

* How to go to Gangneung from Busan by bus
- Go to Busan Dongbu Gyeongnam Intercity Bus Terminal and buy a ticket to Gangneung (30,000 won, 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours)

* Local Transportation
From Gangneung Train Station to Namdaecheon
On foot: It is about a 15-minute walk from Gangneung train station
Bus: Take city bus No. 202, 206, 230 or 303, then get off at Kyobo Saengmyeong. Then walk for about 5 minutes or take a taxi for 3-5 minutes.

* Accommodation
Accommodations facilities, including motels and hotels, are located in downtown Gangneung and Gangneung station.
- Downtown Gangneung: Take a walk for ten minutes to cross the bridge near the main festival venue Danojang.
- Gangneung station: Take a taxi that will cost around 2,000 won from the main festival venue Danojang.

* Nearby attractions
Click here to get more information about nearby attractions.


By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff writer