Munhwa Ilbo | Immerse Yourself in the Beauty of Hanbok at Gwanghwamun This Weekend
Munhwa Ilbo reported that Jongno-gu will hold the country's largest hanbok festival, the '2018 Jongno Hanbok Festival,' at Gwanghwamun Square on September 21-22. The opening-day program includes a 'Hanbok Outing' performance by hanbok painter Kim Hyun Jung.
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Jongno-gu, Korea's Largest Hanbok Festival
Hahoe Byeolsingut Mask Dance, Concert and More
A Wide Range of Traditional Culture Events Also Planned
A festival to fully savor the essence of hanbok culture will be held in Seoul's Jongno this weekend. Jongno-gu announced on the 19th that it will hold the '2018 Jongno Hanbok Festival' (photo) at Gwanghwamun Square on the 21st and 22nd. It is Korea's largest hanbok festival, combining the excellence and beauty of traditional hanbok in all its vivid colors with a wide range of traditional culture content. This year it was also selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's designated flagship festival category.
On the festival's opening day, the 21st, at noon in the central plaza of Gwanghwamun Square, a variety of side events will take place, led by a 'street parade,' followed by hanbok painter Kim Hyun Jung's 'Hanbok Outing' performance of painting on hanbok, and a tightrope-walking performance by the Kwon Yeon-tae Yeonhuidan troupe. From 6:20 p.m., a large-scale 'Jindo Buk Dance' parade featuring 200 members of professional dance troupes, including certified performers of the Jindo Buk Dance, will be followed by a 'lighting ceremony' marking the festival's official start. Programs include the citizen-participation 'Hanbok Showcase Contest,' where anyone who loves hanbok can show off their style, and master craftsman Kim In-ja's 'Hanbok Fashion Show,' which presents new directions for hanbok spanning past and present.
From 2 p.m. on the 22nd, Andong City's National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 69 'Hahoe Byeolsingut Mask Dance,' presented by sister city Andong and Jongno-gu, will take place, and at 6 p.m., 'A Hanbok Concert with Geum Nan-sae' will be held on the main stage at the North Plaza. Also notable is the 'Gangganggangsullae of Peace and Love,' performed as the finale program each evening at 9 p.m. over the two days of the festival. Under the guidance of National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 8 Gangganggangsullae skill holders Kim Jong-sim and Park Jong-suk and the Jindo Arts Troupe, around 60 dance students from Seoul Arts High School, citizen leader groups, and Korean and foreign visitors participating on site will join together regardless of age or gender to dance Gangganggangsullae and cap off the festival. The festival will also run various experience booths, including a 'hanbok experience' where visitors can rent and wear hanbok to immerse themselves in the charm of traditional culture, 'wearing hanbok correctly,' which teaches the proper way to wear Korean traditional dress through fun missions, and a 'hanbok playground' for experiencing traditional games. Jongno-gu Mayor Kim Young-jong said, "Hanbok is not simply clothing but a precious cultural heritage embodying the wisdom, culture, and spirit of the Korean people," adding, "I hope this festival lets everyone fully feel the excellence and beauty of hanbok."