Haenam Hyanggyo Reenacts Traditional Coming-of-Age Ceremony on Coming-of-Age Day

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam Hyanggyo held a Coming-of-Age Ceremony on the 17th in celebration of the 49th Coming-of-Age Day.

According to Haenam Hyanggyo on the 18th, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony is said to have originated from King Gwangjong of the Goryeo Dynasty dressing the crown prince in Yuan Dynasty attire, as recorded in historical documents. However, it is actually a long-standing Korean custom that has been passed down since the Samhan period.

The Coming-of-Age Ceremony, which celebrated adulthood by placing a crown on young men and inserting a binyeo (traditional hairpin) for young women, disappeared from social customs after the Enlightenment period but was revived in 1973 when Coming-of-Age Day was established as a legal holiday.

The event held at the Hyanggyo Chung Hyogwan was attended by 18 youths who reached adulthood, during which the oath-taking, Sang-gwan-rye (capping ceremony), and designation of the courtesy name (ja) took place.

About 20 senior Confucian scholars of Haenam Hyanggyo, including Jeongyo Yoon Gwangcheon and Judohoe President Kim Janggyun, along with Myunghyeon-gwan Haenam County Governor and Jang Seongmo, Director of Haenam Office of Education, attended the event to celebrate the coming of age.

Jeongyo Yoon Gwangcheon said, “Along with congratulations to the students who have come of age, I ask that you fulfill the role and responsibility of healthy adults who will lead the future of the Republic of Korea.”

Haenam Hyanggyo is making efforts to inherit Korea’s unique customs and traditional life ceremonies by holding not only the Coming-of-Age Ceremony but also events such as the Resolution Meeting for Moral Restoration and Practice of Etiquette, Naming Ceremony, and Giro-yeon (ceremony for elders).

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