The Oct. 23 ceremony at Seoul's Geumseongdang shrine will feature Confucian rites and more than 20 shamanistic ritual sequences, continuing a tradition of Geumseongshin faith dating to the Goryeo era.
Eunpyeong-gu in Seoul will hold the Geumseongdangje, a traditional ritual ceremony praying for national peace, public well-being and longevity, at Seoul's Geumseongdang shrine on Oct. 23.
The Geumseongdangje honors Geumseong Daewang — the mountain deity of Geumseongsan in Naju — and Prince Geumseong, who lost his life attempting to restore King Danjong to the throne. The ceremony carries on the traditional faith and ritual culture that the local community has maintained centered on the Geumseongdang shrine.
The day's proceedings begin with a Confucian-style rite attended by local residents and descendants of Prince Geumseong, followed by more than 20 shamanistic ritual sequences including the Imalsangung spirit-welcoming rite, the sacred-rope hanging, the shrine-welcoming ceremony, the main ritual and the Jeseokgut. The Geumseongdangje Preservation Society works to safeguard and pass down the procedures and methods of these rites.
The Geumseongdang shrine traces its origins to Geumseongsan in Naju during the Goryeo period, with the Geumseongshin faith later spreading to Hanyang during the Joseon era. Most of the Geumseongdang shrines that once stood across Seoul have since disappeared, but the one in Gupabal has survived with its original form largely intact and was designated a national folk cultural heritage site in 2008.
This year's ceremony is particularly significant as the first Geumseongdangje held since the "Mural Paintings of Deities at Seoul Geumseongdang" were designated a national folk cultural heritage. The deity paintings enshrined at Geumseongdang are considered valuable historical and ethnological records, reflecting the shamanistic beliefs of the Seoul and Gyeonggi Province region and the characteristics of 19th-century deity paintings.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 23 and is free and open to the public with no advance reservation required.
Eunpyeong-gu District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said the Geumseongdang shrine, its deity paintings and the Geumseongdangje together represent a precious cultural heritage in which the space, artifacts and rituals of traditional faith have been preserved as one. "We will faithfully conserve and pass on the district's cultural heritage so that more people can encounter the historical value of our traditional culture," she said.
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