Inscribed in 2020 (15.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity As the eighth day of the fourth lunar month (Buddha's Birthday) approaches, the entire country, from otherwise tranquil Buddhist temples to bustling city centers, lights up with colorful lanterns. A rite to celebrate Shakyamuni's birth is observed nationwide and public processions of people holding lanterns are held. Records associating Buddhism and the lotus lanterns dates back to the 9th-century according to Samguksagi(Histrory of the Three Kingdoms). And there are records showing that the lotus lantern festival was organized around Buddha’s birthday in the Goryeo dynasty(918-1392). Originally a religious ritual to celebrate Shakyamuni's birth, Yeondeunghoe has become a representative national spring festival open to all. Made of a bamboo frame, or a steel wire frame covered by traditional paper, the lanterns decorating Buddhist temples and public spaces are crafted by traditional artisans who share their knowledge and skills with lay participants. Members of the public can participate in the festival carrying lanterns they made to express good wishes not only for themselves and their families, but for their neighborhoods and the entire nation. The lighting lanterns also symbolizes enlightening the minds of the individuals, the communities, and the whole society through Buddha's wisdom. The primary element of the annual festival starts with bathing an image of the baby Buddha as a ritual celebrating Shakyamuni's birth. This sacred ritual is followed by a public procession of lantern-bearing participants. After completing the procession, participants gather for recreational events. The spirit of unity culminates in collective game activities as social boundaries are temporarily erased.

South Korea 2020

“Pisak Bochea” is a Buddhist festival that Buddhists all over the world, including in Cambodia, celebrate every year on the full moon day (15th Kert of the month of Pisak) to commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and Nirvana of the Buddha. Buddhists around the world believe that the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and entered Nirvana on the same day, the 15th Kert of the month of Pisak, only a different year. The ceremony is held in the Royal Palace, at the pagoda, and at sacred places, such as at the Shakyamuni stupa at Phnom Preah Reach Trop. At the celebration place, there are offerings such as Baysey, candles, incense, flowers, fruits, and drinks. The main task in this ceremony is in the Buddhist temples, the Buddhists invite the monks to talk about the history of the Buddha from his birth until his death. In some pagodas, especially in the Angkor area of Siem Reap province, on the day of the festival, they celebrate the celebration of Bombus Neak. The people there also have another special tradition: on that day, the villagers usually ordain their sons as priests and daughters as nuns for a week, holding a ceremony at Angkor Wat. In addition, they organize important events related to the Buddha. For example, in 2002, His Majesty Preah Borom Rathanak Kort paraded the urn of Buddha from the Sakyamuni Stupa in Phnom Penh to be kept at the Sakyamuni Stupa in Phnom Preah Reach Trop, Kampong Speu Province. Meanwhile, in 2016, there will be a parade of the urn (which was stolen from the Relics procession to celebrate Pisak Bochea.

Inscribed in 2009 (4.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Traditionally, the Namsadang troupes didn’t settle in one place but traveled around, performing their repertoire mostly for grassroots audiences. The only extant group today was originally based in a neighborhood near Cheongnyongsa, a Buddhist temple in Seoun-myeon, Anseong City, Gyeonggi-do Province. Until the early 20th century, this group traveled from village to village around the central district of Korea and sometimes farther to Manchuria in northeastern China. Through its active itinerant performances the group influenced folk entertainment, masked dance plays and seasonal games in various regions. The wandering entertainers lived on small earnings from their shows, usually staying in Buddhist temples. They sold amulets made by monks and donated part of their income to host temples. A Namsadang troupe needs some 40-50 male performers to present its full repertoire. Under the kkokdusoe, literally the “head actor”, the troupe has a planner (gombaengisoe), stage manager (ddeunsoe), actors (gayeol), apprentices (ppiri), elderly seniors (jeoseungpae), errand runners (jan simbureumkkun) and porters (deungjimkkun). They have a strict hierarchy and apprenticeship to hand down their skills from generation to generation. The six acts of their program may be explained as follows: • Farmers’ Band Music (Pungmul): The farmers’ music played by the current Namsadang troupe originated in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces in central Korea. It consists of a road parade and individual skill demonstrations. • Mask Dance Play (Deotboegi): Thirteen actors appear in four scenes – the ground purifier, the episode of scabies sufferer, the episode of feeble-minded scholar, and the episode of black monk. • Tightrope Walking (Eoreum): An acrobat performs a variety of feats on a tight rope between humorous exchanges with a clown on the ground. The rope is some 9-10 meters long and 2.5 meters high. Kwon Won-tae of the present Namsadang group can perform 17 kinds of feats. • Puppet Play (Deolmi): A total of 51 puppets in 31 kinds appear in this play with two acts and seven scenes. The stage is set up with black curtains, some 1.2 meters above ground. Puppeteers manipulate the puppets from behind the curtain, exchanging dialogue with a narrator seated in front of the stage along with musicians. The play consists of the Act of Old Man Park and the Act of Pyongyang Governor. The Act of Old Man Park has four scenes -- Old Man Park Goes on Sightseeing; Pijori (Park’s niece); Kkokdu Gaksi (Park’s wife); Isimi (python). The Act of Pyongyang Governor has three scenes -- Falconing, Pallbearing and Temple Building. • Acrobatics (Salpan): This act has a variety of breathtaking feats performed on the ground. • Sieve Frame Spinning (Beona): An acrobat displays intricate skills for spinning and tossing a sieve frame using a wooden stick some 40cm long. Sometimes he uses a tobacco pipe, a knife or a small reel, or an impromptu device combining these tools. Among the six acts of Namsadang Nori, the mask dance and puppet plays are particularly worthy of note for their explicit social messages. Characters in these humorous plays represent typical Koreans from different social classes, such as an aristocratic master and a defiant servant, an old couple and a concubine, Buddhist monks indulging in worldly pleasures, and the masses suffering from unending suppression and exploitation. These dramas were not simply designed to offer entertainment but also raise issues on behalf of the grassroots who had no means to voice their opinion. They were intended to imbue hopes for freedom and equality in the hearts of their commoner audience under yokes of class distinction. Through humorous depiction of women’s lives in a male-dominated society they also manifested the ideal of gender equality and human dignity. The masks and puppets symbolically express the reality faced by each character. The pains and sorrows in their hearts are soothed and even fears of death are overcome with cheerful plays. Namsadang plays thus advocated the ideas of freedom and equality through witty and humorous dialogue and symbolic dances and gestures. They spoke for the desires of Korean grassroots to pursue a beautiful and dignified life even though they had to accept the limitations of reality. These themes will be easily understood and earn sympathy from audiences around the world. The plays feature many silent characters, as well as abundant gestures and dances, facilitating easier communication and active audience participation beyond language barriers. The Namsadang troupes typically were performed in round outdoor spaces surrounded by crowds except the entrance and exit paths. The performing arenas, therefore, were open to everyone. The wandering entertainers held rites to pray for peace and fertility, playing loud and pleasant music, in every village they dropped in. They entertained the villagers with exciting programs of music, drama, dances and acrobatics, offering joyful moments to the oppressed commoners and boosting their morale. Namsadang Nori possesses intrinsic value as a content source for contemporary cultural creation. With a history spanning 1,500 years at the least, this integrated folk repertoire represents traditional Korean performing arts in broad genres. Its content will be actively utilized in various cultural genres in the years ahead. In this context, the recent hit movie “The King and the Clown” (2005) deftly proved such potential. The movie featured tightrope walking, farmers’ band, mask dance drama and puppet play in a number of scenes. Its two lead characters are wandering entertainers who happen to drift into the royal court. The movie’s phenomenal success has inspired many artists to employ motifs from the Namsadang repertory.

South Korea 2009

Taking place in a large space, associated with relics such as Tân Xuân communal house, Linh Phước pagoda, Ông pagoda, Điền temple, Âm Nhơn temple, Phương Quế Ngọc Đài sacred precinct, Tầm Vu river on January 15 and 16, to worship martyrs who died in the anti-French invasion movement at the end of the 19th century and pray for the spirits. Preparation: erecting Ông Tiêu truss, making Long Đình - Tứ Châu, erecting teacher truss, erecting martyrs' monument, making lantern boat, making Ông Tiêu's picture. "Ông Tiêu" is an important image, created with great skill. On the 15th, the Organizing Committee held a ceremony to invite Ông Tiêu, invite Buddha, request sutras, invite teachers, recite sutras to pray for peace, worship martyrs (performed by Taoist monk of Cao monument), Đề Phan martyrs (by the chief Buddhist monk). In the evening, there are amateur music exchanges and floats parade around town. On the 16th, there are rituals such as worshiping the soul, inviting a cake, inviting Ông Tiêu to the platform, inviting the spirits, Chiêu U ceremony (worshiping the spirits), requesting sutras, calling, inviting the monk, releasing lanterns, and pushing the truss - guests farewell. "Ông Tiêu" is the central and most important character of Làm chay Requiem Ritual . He also has the Buddhist name called Tiêu Diện Bodhisattva, an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara. According to Buddhism and folk wisdom, Ông Tiêu is the head and ruler of the demon world. The picture of Ông Tiêu is about 2 meters tall, wearing armor, has horns on his head, hundreds of faces all over his body, and a tongue made of pink paper nearly half a meter long, where all his power and magic are concentrated. The statue of Ông Tiêu is placed in the grounds of Linh Phước Pagoda. After that, the statue of Ông Tiêu was taken to Tân Xuân communal house to perform the rituals. At the end of the ceremony, Ông Tiêu's picture was burned.