Online Journey to Prehistoric Times... The 25th Gangdong Seonsa Cultural Festival Opens on the 5th

One-Week Online Festival from 5th to 11th... Gangdong-gu Office YouTube Live Broadcast... Seonsa Bitgeori Lighting Ceremony, Seonsa Golden Bell Quiz Show, Hair Show, Ieumsik, and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangdong-gu (District Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) will open the ‘25th Gangdong Prehistoric Culture Festival’ on the 5th through ontact.

Amid the disruption of daily life caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the festival, held for seven days until the 11th, aims to offer comfort and hope to the weary residents.

The Gangdong Prehistoric Culture Festival is the only festival in Seoul themed around prehistoric times, centered on the Amsa-dong archaeological site in Seoul, providing a place to experience the life and culture of Neolithic people from 6,000 years ago and to enjoy lively communication.

This year, in line with the COVID-19 era, the festival is fully planned with non-face-to-face and online content that does not gather people in one place, renewing its 25-year tradition under the theme of ‘Connection’.

◇A Gateway to Prehistoric Times, Online ‘Lighting Ceremony’

The festival opens on the 5th at 7 p.m. with the ‘Prehistoric Light Street Lighting Ceremony.’ The Prehistoric Light Street is decorated with LED-lit sculptures called ‘Light Huts,’ comb-pattern pottery, and fish-shaped hanji (traditional Korean paper) lanterns. It is set up at six key locations including in front of the main stage at the Seoul Amsa-dong archaeological site’s Wish Square, Sangil-dong Station’s Godeok Gracium shopping complex, Homeplus Gangdong branch, Hyundai Department Store Cheonho branch, Gangdong-gu Office Open Yard, and Iljasan Lawn Plaza.

The lighting ceremony will proceed for about 20 minutes, sequentially lighting up each light street like dominoes and culminating with a finale lighting at the Seoul Amsa-dong archaeological site, broadcast live online. The lights, carrying wishes for the end of COVID-19 and residents’ hopes, will brighten various parts of Gangdong-gu throughout the festival. Residents can participate by hanging wish cards at the light streets in their respective areas.

The ‘Wish Fulfillment Square’ created at the Seoul Amsa-dong archaeological site is a special program by the Residents’ Autonomy Committee, richly decorated through residents’ collective efforts. It consists of wish cards expressing hopes for the UNESCO World Heritage registration of the Seoul Amsa-dong archaeological site, wish lanterns, a wish wall decorated with wish cards, and wish huts. This year, in connection with the ‘Peaceful Unification Education Project,’ Korean Peninsula lanterns, unification trains, and unification cards are also exhibited.

◇How Did Neolithic People Live? Neolithic Archaeology Experience School

From the 6th to the 11th, the ‘Neolithic Archaeology Experience School’ will be held, allowing online participation to imagine the life of primitive people. Content videos introducing the site and showing how to make comb-pattern pottery and other Neolithic cultural experiences will be posted on the Seoul Amsa-dong archaeological site website and Gangdong-gu Office YouTube channel.

◇Amsa-dong Archaeological Site Online Academic Conference

On the 9th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a domestic academic conference on the Amsa-dong archaeological site will be held. Under the theme ‘Prehistoric Sites and Cultural Heritage Education,’ expert presentations and discussions will take place online. This will re-examine the value of Seoul’s oldest village, the Seoul Amsa-dong archaeological site, and serve as a step forward toward its UNESCO World Heritage registration. The conference will be live-streamed on Gangdong-gu Office’s YouTube channel, and viewers can freely participate via comments.

◇Online Quiz Show and Hair Performance

On the 11th from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., about 100 elementary school students will compete in prehistoric knowledge at the ‘Prehistoric Golden Bell Quiz Show.’ Participants will access the provided online address to solve questions in a tournament format. The final winner and participants will receive prizes sponsored by Woori Bank and small souvenirs. The first 100 applicants will be accepted; application forms can be downloaded from the Gangdong-gu website and submitted via email.

At 3 p.m., the ‘Prehistoric Hair Show,’ hosted by the Korea Beauty Association Gangdong-gu branch, will feature a spectacular hair performance titled ‘Comb Wind’ by local hairdressers alongside Korean traditional musician Park Ae-ri. Models wearing hairstyles and costumes reflecting prehistoric identity will provide a unique enjoyment. The show can be viewed on Gangdong-gu Office’s YouTube channel.

◇Connected Despite Non-Face-to-Face in the COVID-19 Era, ‘Connection Ceremony’

On the festival’s last day, the 11th at 7 p.m., the closing ceremony called ‘Connection Ceremony’ will be held. Under the subtitle ‘Tribute to All Stars,’ it will provide a healing time for all stars including medical staff, small business owners, and residents who are working together to overcome COVID-19.

About 600 residents who applied in advance will be invited online, experiencing a special connection through a large LED screen set up on a special stage.

Starting with a performance by top domestic contemporary dancer Cha Jin-yeop on the theme ‘Discovery of Prehistoric People, Human Efforts for the Development of Civilization,’ the ceremony will feature a special performance by invited singer Yoon Do-hyun and a congratulatory performance by Harmonize, the world acapella choir Olympic champion. Following a special video depicting stories of overcoming COVID-19, 100 drones will perform a spectacular drone show above the stage filled with residents’ wish cards, marking the grand finale of the festival.

The Connection Ceremony will be densely composed for residents watching via YouTube and will last for one hour. Pre-registration for online participation can be made through the Gangdong-gu Office Culture and Arts Division.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, stated, “I hope that residents exhausted by COVID-19 will feel a sense of community through the Gangdong Prehistoric Culture Festival and receive hope, healing, and inspiration to overcome the pandemic. This festival will be conducted ontact while strictly adhering to quarantine rules suitable for the COVID-19 era, so I ask for your great interest and participation.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.