Naju Festival Opens on the 20th... Various Cultural and Artistic Performances Prepared

Published 18 Oct.2023 15:17(KST)

‘2023 Naju Festival, Yeongsangang River is Alive,’ the first integrated festival hosted by Naju City, Jeollanam-do, will open on the 20th.

According to the city on the 18th, the Naju Festival will feature various genres of cultural and artistic performances, similar to those seen at large cultural venues like the Arts Center, running until the 29th.

2023 Naju Festival, Yeongsangang River is Alive Opening Poster. [Photo by Naju City]

This festival will operate a historical exhibition of Naju through the eras of Mahan, Goryeo, Joseon, and the modern period, showcasing culture and art performances based on history.

Particularly noteworthy is the history of Naju during the Goryeo Dynasty.

The city has previously held events such as the Mahan Cultural Festival, the Millennium Naju Mok Eupseong Cultural Festival recreating the Joseon-era night streets, Cultural Heritage Night, and the Taegeukgi Street Festival commemorating the Naju student anti-Japanese movement, but it has had little connection with the Goryeo period.

Naju was a foundational region for the establishment of the Goryeo Dynasty. Wang Geon, who took control of Naju via the Yeongsangang River route, allied with local nobles to establish a forward base for the conquest of Later Baekje.

Wang Geon met a woman from the Oh family of Naju at a well (Wansacheon), forming a bond; she later became Queen Janghwa and gave birth to Hyejong, the second king of Goryeo. From then on, Naju was called ‘Eohyang,’ meaning the hometown of the king.

In 998, King Seongjong, the sixth king of Goryeo, elevated Eohyang Naju to a Mok (牧), an administrative division equivalent to today’s metropolitan local government. During the Goryeo period, Naju prospered as the center of Honam.

The city has prepared the musical ‘Wang Geon and Queen Janghwa,’ creatively based on the founding legend of Goryeo involving the couple who met at the well, as the main opening performance of the festival on the 21st.

On the 24th, starting at 4:30 PM, a gut ritual will be held on the Yeongsangang River to summon the spirits of the two heroes, Goryeo’s Wang Geon and Later Baekje’s Gyeon Hwon, who once contended in Naju, to resolve old grudges.

Under the theme ‘Naju, Dividing Fate,’ priests and shamanesses will perform the Cheondoje (heavenly ritual), Gwaneummu (Avalokitesvara dance), and butterfly dance, symbolically cleansing the resentment and bitterness that have lasted over a thousand years between the two figures and praying for each other’s peace.

The festival’s performance flow continues from the Goryeo period to Joseon-era madanggeuk (traditional Korean outdoor play) and traditional dance performances.

On the 26th, from 5:30 PM, the madanggeuk ‘The Drifting Story of Hong-eo Merchant Moon Sun-duk’ will be performed. This play adapts the adventurous journey of Moon Sun-duk, a real historical figure from Sinan during the late Joseon period, into a drifting adventure madanggeuk.

In 1802, Moon Sun-duk went to Yeongsanpo, the logistics hub of the southwest region, to sell skate fish (Hong-eo). This time, he arrives properly without drifting. Moon Sun-duk shares stories of his drifting experiences across Asia, including Japan, the Philippines, Macau, and China, making him the first Joseon merchant to drift to various Asian countries.

At the end of the festival, visitors can experience the essence of traditional dance and performance arts that were likely held in Naju Mok during the Joseon Dynasty.

On the 28th, from 6:30 PM, the main stage will host ‘Traditional Dance and Performance, Naju Mok Gwanbu-mu,’ which recreates traditional dance performances by invited artists presented to foreign envoys and dignitaries during festivals held in Naju Mok in the Joseon era.

The festival organizing committee, in collaboration with the Korea Dance Culture Resource Center, has researched dances and court dances performed in the Honam region during the Joseon period, and will unveil the Naju Mok Gwanbu-mu for the first time at this festival.

The performance, consisting of seven parts including ‘Intro - Chomu - Hwakwamu - Seungjeonmu - Gu-eumgeommu - Naju’s Drum Sound - Closing,’ is expected to be a collection of traditional Korean music performances combining lion masks, pungmul (folk percussion), samhyeonyukgak (traditional instrumental ensemble), and dance.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “The stage performances presented over ten days at the 2023 Naju Festival are newly created based on historical records and traditional culture from Mahan, Goryeo, Joseon, and the modern era, and can only be experienced at the Naju Festival. The ten days spent by the beautiful Yeongsangang River with various sights, activities, and food at the Naju Festival will be unforgettable memories.”