Gurye County to Kick Off Jirisan Namak Festival and County Residents' Day on the 18th

A Journey into a Millennium of History through April 20
A New Chapter of Unity and Vitality for Residents,
Building on a Thousand Years of Tradition

Gurye County, South Jeolla Province, announced that it will hold the 82nd Jirisan Namak Festival and the 45th County Residents' Day event over three days from April 18 to 20 at Namaksa, Hwaeomsa District, and the Public Sports Complex.

This year's festival, held under the theme "A Journey into a Millennium of History," will feature 32 participatory programs across four categories: rituals, performances, hands-on experiences, and competitions. In particular, the event has been revamped this year to enhance safety and increase participation, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the festival.

Poster of Jirisan Namak Festival. Provided by Gurye County

The traditional street parade will not be held this year due to safety concerns related to the aging of participants. The county sports competition has been restructured to focus on participatory events, introducing activities such as large ball rolling and pedometer dance, while simplifying sports like soccer, foot volleyball, Korean wrestling, and relay races by adjusting the number of participants.

Additionally, Hangung has been officially adopted as a competition event, and the "Town and Township Residents' Talent Show" will be introduced for the first time.

On the first day, April 18, the festival will open with a commemorative ceremony for County Residents' Day, the county sports competition, and a residents' singing contest. On April 19, there will be a street Korean wrestling tournament, town and township yutnori competition, talent show, and a special performance by the "Nostalgic Dongchun Circus." The final day, April 20, will feature the Namak Ritual, Heongong Tea Ceremony, a town and township farmers' music competition, and a special performance by the Baekdu Halla Art Troupe to close the festival.

Various other competitions will also be held, including the Namak Calligraphy Contest, essay writing, local cultural heritage drawing contest, and the National Jeongga Sijo Singing Competition.

Kim Jonggeun, chairman of the organizing committee for the Jirisan Namak Festival and County Residents' Day, said, "I hope this event will be a meaningful time for all residents to come together, interact, and foster unity."

A Gurye County official stated, "The Jirisan Namak Festival and County Residents' Day are representative events of Gurye with a long-standing tradition. We will do our best to ensure that the festival becomes an opportunity for residents to unite and enhance their pride in the region."

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