Changwon Special City Successfully Hosts the 23rd Changwon Namsan Sangbong Festival

Gratitude for the Year's Harvest and Wishes for Citizens' Well-being

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam successfully held the 23rd Changwon Namsan Sangbong Festival, organized by the Namsan Sangbong Festival Committee, over two days from September 30 to October 1 at the Changwon Namsan Park area to celebrate the traditional Korean holiday, Chuseok.

At the opening ceremony on the 30th of last month, over 1,000 guests and citizens, including Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, Kim Youngseon, Member of the National Assembly, and Kim Igeun, Chairman of the Changwon Special City Council, attended to offer their congratulations.

The 23rd Changwon Namsan Sangbong Festival Held.

The ‘Changwon Namsan Sangbong Festival’ originated from the tradition of villagers living around Namsan at the foot of Cheonjusang Mountain gathering after the year’s farming was completed to give thanks for a bountiful harvest and pray for the village’s well-being. During Chuseok, citizens visiting the festival enjoyed traditional games with their families and watched fireworks, spending joyful times together.

In particular, this year’s Sangbong Festival was further enlivened by the linked event of the Changwon Maninge Restoration Project, hosted by the Uichang Cultural Village Association. The ‘Changwon Maninge Restoration Project’ reenacts the Maninge, which operated in Changwon during the late Joseon period. Maninge was a type of lottery where numbered tickets were sold, and drawing tickets were placed in a large container and rotated; when a winning ticket was drawn, the prize money was awarded to the winner. The proceeds were used as public funds for disaster relief funds, public event expenses, and so forth. Currently, all proceeds are used to support low-income and marginalized groups.

At the opening ceremony, Mayor Hong said, “We all need to take an interest and continue to inherit and develop our culture so that local traditional cultural events are not forgotten and are passed down to future generations.”

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