Yeongdeungpo-gu to Host the 18th Dano Festival

Dano Festival Held at Yeongdeungpo Park on the 11th from 9 to 11 AM... Small-Scale Performances Considering COVID-19 Spread... Starting with Dano Ritual and Opening Ceremony, Featuring Pot Breaking, Binari, Gayageum Performance, Pungmulpae Nolum... Attendance Limited to 99 People, Strict Compliance with Quarantine Rules

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) will hold the "18th Yeongdeungpo Dano Festival" on the 11th at Yeongdeungpo Park ahead of Dano (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), one of the four major traditional Korean holidays.

The Yeongdeungpo Dano Festival had been held successfully every year until 2019 to recreate disappearing seasonal customs and to inherit the long-standing traditional culture of the Korean people.

However, last year, the festival was completely canceled to prioritize blocking community infection due to the outbreak and spread of COVID-19.

This year, although COVID-19 has not yet ended, considering the original purpose of preserving the nation's unique traditional culture, it was decided to hold a small-scale event with no more than 99 local residents attending.

The festival will take place on the central stage of Yeongdeungpo Park, a former OB park, on the 11th.

Sponsored by Yeongdeungpo-gu and hosted by the Yeongdeungpo Cultural Center, this year's festival will begin at 9 a.m. with the Dano ritual performed together by Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Chae Hyun-il, National Assembly members Kim Young-joo and Kim Min-seok, city council members, the chairperson of the local district council, and district council members.

After the ritual, the opening ceremony marking the official start of the Dano Festival will be held, followed by a ceremony where participants energetically break a pumpkin, wishing for COVID-19 to be frightened and run far away.

Then, the schedule will conclude with a lively performance by a pungmul band, a binari (traditional Korean blessing song) conveying blessings and good wishes for Yeongdeungpo residents, a 25-string gayageum performance, and exciting performances by the pungmul band and Bukcheong Lion dancers.

This year's Dano Festival excludes seasonal custom games such as washing hair with iris water and swinging, focusing only on rituals, binari, and performances.

Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, "Due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, we had no choice but to significantly downscale the festival," adding, "We will do our utmost in quarantine activities and vaccination promotion so that COVID-19 ends as soon as possible and all residents can joyfully enjoy the Dano Festival next year."

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