Korean Shamanism

This week a Korean Shamanist festival and ceremony were held here at the Hanminjok Historic and Cultural Park to mark the Lunar Calendar "Gaecheonjeol" (Heaven's Opening Day).

Korean Shamanism, like many other traditional or indigenous practices, was suppressed by both foreign and domestic powers, but has recently regained support from the Korean public and government as an important cultural practice.

Parts of the festival and ceremony were similar to an ancestral rites ceremony that is held in Korea on special holidays like Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) or New Year's. It also had other elements, which seemed to represent human's connection to nature, and a "performance" by a traditional Shaman, which reflected the way shamans used to meet and talk with villagers.