백성을 생각하는 군주의 마음을 들여다보다…창덕궁에서의 전통 벼베기 체험
A special ceremony is held at Changdeokgung to celebrate the autumn harvest.
Visitors get to experience the traditional rice harvesting methods at the royal palace.
Lee Shi-hoo files us this report.
Nestled in the rear garden of Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul is a special pavilion named Cheonguijeong.
The Cheonguijeong pavilion is the last remaining building in the palace with a straw-thatched roof.
The building's circular roof symbolizes the sky,… and the rectangular paddy field in front of it, the land.
The field had a special purpose in the past.
"This is where the kings of the Joseon Dynasty used to plant and harvest crops to see whether it would be a good or a bad year for farming."
Growing crops in the field also helped the royals empathize with the hardships of farmers.
To reenact this tradition, the Cultural Heritage Administration and the palace have jointly organized a special event.
"We organized a rice harvesting event to revive the historical and symbolic meaning of harvesting rituals performed by kings of the past. We hope that it will be an opportunity to feel how much care the kings had for the people and think about our traditional agricultural culture."
The exuberant sounds of traditional farmers' music mark the beginning of the harvest.
The performers, clad in colorful costumes, swing their heads and make pirouettes to the beat of drums... while parading around the paddy field.
And those playing the roles of farmers on the day begin the long-awaited harvest.
Using a sickle, they cut the rice plants at their base...row by row.
It's tough work, but together, the group makes progress.
Visitors from all around the world make sure not to miss a moment.
“It's very interesting to see how the rice culture is in Korea.”
Once harvested, the sheaves of rice are slid against rasp bars and threshed in the traditional way.
The threshed rice is then steamed and pounded to make rice cake or tteok.
The leftover stalks don't go to waste and are used to make hand-made packaging for carrying chicken eggs.
Participants of the event say they appreciate the rare opportunity.
“Yeah, it was definitely a lot of work but it was neat to use hand tool and stuff. Where we’re from now you see lots of giant tractors and things like that but you don't ever see anybody hand harvesting anything, so yeah it was interesting.”
Those wishing to take part in a future ritual at the paddy field can visit the palace next spring for a rice planting event.
Lee Shi-hoo, Arirang News.
#harvest #ceremony #Arirang_News
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2022-10-13, 21:00 (KST)
