As ritualized practices devoted to disaster-averting and peace-pleading, Ong Chun Ceremony widely spreads along the coastal areas both in Minnan, China and Melaka, Malaysia. It is practiced by the communities with both commonness and localities. In Minnan, it mostly takes place every three or four years when the northeast monsoon arrives in autumn; while in Melaka, it is preferentially held in the dry season of the lunar leap year, both starting on an auspicious day meticulously selected and lasting for days or months. The element is rooted in folk belief and customs of worshiping Ong Yah, the deity reverently acknowledged as Tye Tian Soon Siew Ong Yah, among the coastal communities. Local inhabitants believe that, Ong Yah is appointed as commissioner by the Heaven to protect people and their lands from disasters on regular patrols of inspection. Those who lost their lives at sea, respected as “good brothers,” become wandering souls lonely and homeless. Rituals for welcoming and escorting Ong Yah at regular intervals are therefore held for his visit to the land and rescuing “good brothers.”

China,Malaysia 2020

Inscribed in 2008 (3.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2005) The annual Gangneung Danoje Festival takes place in the town of Gangneung and its surroundings, situated east of the Taebaek Mountain Range on the Korean peninsula.The festival includes a shamanistic ritual on the Daegwallyeong Ridge, which pays tribute to the mountain deity and male and female tutelary deities. It encompasses traditional music and Odokddegi folk songs, the Gwanno mask drama, oral narrative poetry, and various popular pastimes. The Nanjang market, Korea’s largest outdoor marketplace, is today a major element of the festival, where local products and handicrafts are sold and contests, games and circus performances take place. The four-week long festival begins with the brewing of a sacred liquor and the Dano shamanistic rituals, in which a central role is played by a sacred tree, the sinmok, and the hwagae, a ritual object made of feathers, bells and bamboo wood. One of the specific features of the festival is the coexistence of Confucian, shamanistic and Buddhist rituals. Through the rituals devoted to the deities, the region is believed to remain unaffected by natural disasters, allowing all its residents to live in peace and prosperity. Every year, a large number of visitors attend the various ritual performances and actively participate in events such as making Danoje festival fans, brewing the sacred liquor, drawing masks for the Gwanno Mask Drama, preparing and eating Surichiwi rice crackers and washing their hair in Iris water. The Gangneung Danoje Festival enjoys immense popularity. However, cultural standardization and increased media coverage over the years have resulted in the loss of some traditional elements of the festival. In the traditional context of the festival, one of the functions has been to transcend social differences by allowing people of all social classes to participate.

South Korea 2008

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Beopseongpo Danoje is a traditional folk festival held annually around Dano, or the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, in the Beopseongpo area of Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do. During the Joseon Period, Beopseongpo was one of the major trading areas on the Korean Peninsula due to the presence of a warehouse for storing tax grains and a famous seasonal fish market selling yellow corvinas. Thanks to these favorable social and economic circumstances, a large open-air market usually opened whenever the fish market was held, and a local folk festival naturally developed in this area as a result. The festival features diverse programs related to the well-preserved characteristics and traditions of the Beopseongpo area, such as the dragon king ritual held for fishermen’s safety, women’s boating, and artistic competitions in the nearby forest.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea These rituals are held annually in coastal villages in Haeju and Ongjin, Hwanghae-do and Yeonpyeongdo Island to pray for the peace of the village and for a bountiful catch. Baeyeonsingut is held by boat owners to pray for the safety of the boat, a bountiful catch, and the happiness of the family. It is performed on the boat and creates a merrymaking atmosphere. Daedonggut is one of the largest-scale rituals. It is held on a suitable day in January through March on the lunar calendar to pray for the happiness of all villagers and strengthen ties among them. Representatives of the village hold a rite on a nearby mountain, while each household holds Segyeonggut (Rite to Farming Deity). Then, all villagers march along the coast, praying for the safety of fishermen, a bountiful catch, and peace for the spirits of those drowned while catching fish. These two rituals are held on a large scale. They are characterized by flamboyance, mysteriousness, and merrymaking, and require lots of props.