Samcheok Jeongwol Daeboreum Festival

Samcheok Jeongwol Daeboreum Festival

Samcheok Jeongwol Daeboreum Festival

Introduce

Introduction

Samcheok Jeongwol Daeboreum (The 15th day of the New Year according to the lunar calendar and the day of the first full moon of the lunar year Festival) is a festival that combines Samcheok’s traditional tug-of-war game called Gijuldarigi and three ancestral rituals for the gods of heaven, agriculture, and the sea. The 1st festival was held in 1973 on the road in front of the old city hall which is now Sadae Square. The National Gijuldarigi Competition is the primary event of this festival. The competition became so popular and now it is not just a folk festival of Samcheok but a unique national event. * Gijuldarigi is a tug-of-war game played by two teams pull on opposite ends of a rope with the Osipcheon Stream running through Samcheok at the center. King Hyeongjong of Joseon Dynasty strongly believed that agriculture is the foundation of a nation so the game was invented during the 3rd year of King Hyeongjong’s reign to boost the morale of farmers. But, the tug-of-war game existed even before that. Gijuldarigi tug-of-war were played by villages that believed that the village that wins the game would have a prosperous year, a big catch and have luck throughout the year. This wonderful traditional game was prohibited in 1936 during the Japanese colonial period because the Japanese worried that the game can encourage solidarity of the Korean people. But in 1973, the game was revived, designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 2 of Gangwon Province and has become one of the main events at the Samcheok Jeongwol Daeboreum Festival. Samcheok also initiated the National Gijuldarigi Competition in 2007 and the competition has now become a popular national event.

Overview

  • Period: January 15 (on the lunar calendar) every year
  • Location: Expo Town, Seongnam-dong
  • Address: (Seongnam-dong) 69, Expo-ro, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do (Seongnam-dong)
  • Organizer: Samcheok Jeongwol Daeboreum Festival Committee

Contact No.

Samcheok Culture Center 033-573-2882

Cultural Public Affairs Office at Samcheok City Hall 033-570-3225

How to Get Here

Local Bus

Samcheok Bus Terminal → Get Off at Jukseoru Pavilion (Take Local Bus No. 14, 14-1, 31, or 31-2, 10 min)

Taxi

Minimum fare from Samcheok Bus Terminal, 15 min-walk from Samcheok Bus Terminal

Driving Directions

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Starting Point Route
From Seoul Seoul → Gangneung (Yeongdong Expressway) → Donghae(Donghaean Expressway) → Samcheok (National Highway No. 7) → Turn Right at the Crossroad under the Overpass in Gyo-dong → Turn Left at the Three-Way Intersection by Chamber of Commerce & Industry → Turn Right at Samcheok Medical Center, then Turn Left → Expo Town
From Busan Busan → Uljin (National Highway No. 7) → Samcheok (National Highway No. 7) → Samcheok Station → Turn Left at the Crossroad by Jinju Elementary School → Expo Town
From Taebaek Taebaek → Turn Right at Samcheok Dogyeong Three-Way Intersection (National Highway No. 38) → Samcheok Driving School → Turn Right at Wondang Jugong Apartment → Turn Left After Passing Over Expo Bridge → Expo Town