The Return of the Queen of Silkworm Rearing ~ Seocho-gu Holds Jamwon Naru Festival After 4 Years

From 11 AM on the 14th, the 9th Jamwon Naru Festival will be held at Jamwon Sports Park... Featuring silkworm mulberry leaf feeding, cocoon thread pulling, environmental education at the Silkworm Ecology Experience Center, cocoon necklace making, and more with a silkworm theme offering plenty to see and enjoy

Silkworm Mulberry Leaf Feeding Experience

A scene of a Joseon Dynasty queen directly raising silkworms on mulberry leaves will be reenacted in Seocho-gu. Also, city children will feed wriggling silkworms with mulberry leaves and marvel at the silkworm cocoons from which silk is drawn.

Seocho-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will hold the 9th Jamwon Naru Festival, themed around silkworms, on the 14th at Jamwon Sports Park (near Jamwon Station Exit 4) for the first time in four years.

Jamwon (蠶院) originated from the area’s history of raising silkworms and producing silk threads. This area had many farms cultivating mulberry saplings and practicing sericulture, and it was located by the Han River with a ferry dock. Additionally, a national sericulture office was established here in the early Joseon period.

The district started the festival in 2012 to promote the origin and tradition of Jamwon-dong and to foster community harmony. After being suspended since 2019 due to COVID-19 and other reasons, it has been revived as a participatory cultural festival planned directly by residents in the 8th local government term.

The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the highlight being the reenactment of the “Queen’s Silkworm Raising Ceremony (Wangbi Chinjam)” starting at 2:15 p.m. Chinjam is a traditional ritual where the Joseon queen picks mulberry leaves and raises silkworms, symbolizing the importance of sericulture and encouraging its practice.

The “Queen’s Silkworm Raising Ceremony (Wangbi Chinjam)” involves 13 residents and children dressed in traditional costumes performing for about 15 minutes: ▲a performance announcing the queen’s silkworm raising ritual ▲the leaf-picking ceremony (Chaesangrye, 採桑禮) where mulberry leaves are given to silkworms ▲the award ceremony (Bansangrye, 頒賞禮) reporting the silkworm cocoon farming results to the queen ▲and the cocoon offering ceremony (Sugyeonrye, 收繭禮) presenting the harvested cocoons to the queen.

From 11 a.m., the “Silkworm Ecology Experience Center” operates to stimulate children’s curiosity. Here, children can observe silkworms, feed them mulberry leaves, and experience drawing silk threads from cocoons. Silkworm experts also provide environmental education on the silkworm’s growth process and uses. Activities such as making necklaces from silkworm cocoons and massage experiences are also prepared.

Cultural performances and side events will also be held. On the main stage, there will be traditional Korean music performances by the Pocheon City Folk Art Troupe and Hanbae Art Cultures, an orchestra performance by Sindong Elementary School, and Taekwondo demonstrations. Around the venue, there will be ▲a children’s drawing contest ▲a family thrift flea market ▲and an open gallery of residents’ artworks. Additionally, about 10 experience booths including a magic bubble show, character cotton candy, and balloon art will be available.

Reenactment of Queen's Sleep Ceremony

The festival promotes coexistence and harmony between residents and Jamwon area merchants. The district plans to provide visitors with discount coupons usable at over 60 restaurants, cafes, and other establishments. Also, promotional activities for revitalizing the local commercial district will be conducted, including the appearance of ‘Nwie,’ the mascot of the Jamwon commercial area. ‘Nwie’ is a character modeled after a silkworm.

This festival is organized by Seocho-gu and the Jamwon-dong Residents’ Autonomy Committee (Chairperson Shin Young-hee).

Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “I hope this festival, held for the first time in four years, will strengthen community harmony and establish itself as a representative cultural festival of the region by preserving the history and significance of Jamwon-dong.”

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