The prolonged spread of COVID-19 is making the cultural community become stagnant. In particular, local cultural properties are outside public attention. However, various local cultural properties can be accessed under quarantine rules. What cultural properties are there in Gyeongsan?
First, there’s Gyeongsan Jain Dano Festival. Dano means the fifth day of the fifth month of the year according to the lunar calendar. Unfortunately, this year’s Dano Festival is over. The Gyeongsan Jain Dano Festival is a Confucian ritual held to honor General Han, the guardian deity of the village residents in Jain-myeon, Gyeongsansi. Gyeongsan Jain Dano Festival offers a glimpse of the unique genre of artistry with the ritual ceremony, spirit of loyalty, and colorful folk games that have been practiced for a long time. This Festival is held every year at Dano, and participation is free. If you attend, you can watch various activities and participate in various events such as soap making.
Did you know that Sapsal dogs are a cultural asset of Gyeongsan? Sapsal is a native dog breed known mainly for its fluffy fur. “Sapsal” is a pure Korean name that combines “saps” which means chasing and lifting and “sal” which means ghost and bad luck. Together it means to chase away ghosts or bad luck. It is called “A dog chasing ghosts.” Interestingly, in Gyeongsan, there are two events for Sapsal dogs held by the Korean Sapsaree Foundation. One is a general experience, and the other is a job experience. In the general experience, you can engage in communication activities such as getting close to, taking a walk with, and training Sapsal dogs. You can have more professional experiences such as veterinary and trainer experiences with Sapsal dogs in the job event. All of these can only be experienced by making reservations in advance.
