In "The Lord of the Rings," dragons terrorize and plunder — but in Gumunso, a neighborhood in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, the dragon is a guardian deity of the village.
A pair of those benevolent dragons awakens Saturday. The Gumunso Community Administrative and Welfare Center will open the 12th Gumunso Dragon Festival, themed "The Legend of the Dragon — Dive into Gumunso!"
Running through Sunday, the two-day event will fill the Gumunso tourism complex in front of the Paleozoic Natural History Museum with dragon performances. Taebaek city is among the organizers, with the Kangwon Land Social Contribution Foundation serving as a sponsor.
Gumunso is a Paleozoic-era geological formation and a core site of the Gangwon Paleozoic Geopark national geopark. The area, centered on two natural rock tunnels, features a variety of walking trails, photo spots and a museum.
The festival is billed as an opportunity to restore one's health in Taebaek — one of South Korea's cleanest highland destinations — and gather the energy needed to push through the second half of the year.
The festivities kick off Saturday at 10 a.m. with a dragon street parade, in which village residents and tourists march into the festival grounds led by a traditional folk-music troupe and dragon sculptures. A ritual ceremony follows, offering prayers to Baengnyong and Cheongnyong — the white and blue dragons said to watch over Gumunso village — for the community's peace and prosperity.
After the opening ceremony and celebratory performances, family programs will run throughout the festival grounds — loach-catching, boat rides through a "dragon palace," water sliding and family yut nori (a traditional board game) — giving children memorable experiences and parents a special outing.
A main stage will host cultural performances by local troupes alongside a singing contest, a dragon-costume relay race and arm-wrestling competitions, adding to the festive atmosphere throughout the event.
Ham Yong-gi, chairman of the Gumunso Festival Committee, described the event as Taebaek's signature village festival — one that draws on the legend of dragons ascending to the heavens at Gumunso, a nationally designated natural monument and one of the city's top tourist attractions, to offer hands-on activities, performances, food and participatory programs for all ages.
"We have done our best to prepare a festival where residents and tourists can come together in harmony, and one that can establish itself as a leading tourism festival representing Taebaek," Ham added.
abc@heraldcorp.com
