National Intangible Heritage Center, Special Exhibition Commemorating the Registration of Yeondeunghoe as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

"Thousands of Lights, Yeondeunghoe" Illuminates Traces of Rituals Evolving into Festival
Recreating Lantern Parade with Various Traditional Lanterns... Also Showcasing the Making Process

The National Intangible Heritage Center and the Yeondeunghoe Preservation Committee are hosting an exhibition to commemorate the inscription of Yeondeunghoe on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The special exhibition is titled "A Thousand Threads of Light, Yeondeunghoe." Until February 28 next year, the exhibition at the Intangible Heritage Center's Nurimaru highlights the history and significance of Yeondeunghoe's inscription. It reflects on the traces of its development from ritual to festival through works such as "Hyeonugyeong (賢愚經)" and "Bohanjip (補閑集)," and reenacts the lantern parade to explore the process of its current performance. Various traditions appearing in sources like "Dongguk Sesigi (東國歲時記)" are displayed, along with their production processes. Admission is free, and the exhibition is closed every Monday.

Yeondeunghoe is a Buddhist event held to commemorate the 8th day of the 4th lunar month, the birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha. It symbolizes illuminating individuals, communities, and society as a whole with the light of truth. Records such as those in the Samguk Sagi mention that in the 6th year of King Gyeongmun of Silla (866), "I went to Hwangnyongsa and saw the lanterns," confirming that the tradition has been passed down since ancient times. During the Goryeo Dynasty, it became a state ritual. By the will of Goryeo's founder, it was held every first full moon of the lunar year. In the first year of King Hyeonjong (1010), the date was changed to the 15th day of the 2nd lunar month and continued until the end of the Goryeo dynasty. Today, it has become a spring festival open to everyone. Lanterns made of bamboo and hanji paper decorate temples and streets, and a parade is held. The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO highly valued this aspect and confirmed Yeondeunghoe's inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on the 16th.

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