Yongho Folk Game

The Yongho Folk Game dramatizes a fight between a dragon and a tiger; it is a folk game performed for three days around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, centred on Muan in Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do. It is thought to have derived from a preliminary game to tug-of-war, though its precise origin and history are unknown. Because the ridge behind Muan village resembles the Blue Dragon on the left and the White Tiger on the right of geomantic tradition, the eastern part of the village has been called Dragon Village and the western part Tiger Village. The Yongho Folk Game consists of six madang (episodes): jisinbalgi, the Teasing Madang, the Calling Madang, the Praying Madang, the Fighting Madang and the Opening Madang. The first, called the Front Madang, takes place on the 14th day, the eve of the full moon, when jisinbalgi (a rite of treading down the earth spirit) is performed from house to house to drive away evil spirits and pray for good fortune. The second, the Teasing Madang, takes place on the morning of the full moon: to the sound of nongak (farmers' music), villagers visit the rival village, tease its people with taunting words, and look over the other side's preparations before returning. The third, the Calling Madang, is when the ranks are arranged and fighting spirit is raised before the contest, as both sides provoke one another; at the head of the rope the captain climbs while holding the command flag, and with him climb the people representing Geumyang and Sinuiju, favoured respectively by the opposing dragon and tiger. The fourth, the Praying Madang, is one of the old ceremonial rites, in which the dragon and tiger of both sides rise and bow deeply to the sky three or four times. The fifth, the Fighting Madang, is the contest proper: as the two sides struggle, Geumyang and Sinuiju, watching for their chance, climb onto the opponent's head, seize the flag held by the captain, and return to their original position, which ends the match. The sixth, the Opening Madang, has the winning side lead while both sides shoulder the rope together and make merry to the music of nongak. The Yongho Folk Game has been handed down for hundreds of years; more than other folk games it displays a spirit of bravery, and it embodies an agricultural rite that prays for the village's peace and a bountiful harvest.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Miryang, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Intangible Heritage · 시도무형유산