Cheorwon Sangnorijigyeongdajigi

Jigyeongdajigi refers to the work of tamping down the site of a new house before construction begins. It is a cooperative labour in which villagers gather to work together, and it carries within it a rite for driving away misfortune and invoking blessings. Sangnori Jigyeongdajigi goes beyond the simple act of ground-tamping, and can be seen as having originated in the life of a traditional farming community. Cheorwon Sangnori Jigyeongdajigi can be divided into three parts: a ritual rite, the ground-tamping itself, and an after-party of entertainment. The ritual rite is a magical ceremony performed before the ground-tamping, intended to prevent angering the earth spirit (jisin), who might otherwise be disturbed by the breaking of the soil. Since the earth spirit is said to be active only at night, torches are lit in the evening, and the owner of the house, acting as the ritual host, reads a prayer text and conducts the rite. Once the rite to the earth spirit is finished, the participants in the ground-tamping place a large tamping stone in the centre and, holding the ropes attached to it, raise and lower it repeatedly to pack down the earth. While tamping the ground they sing work songs, the jigyeong song and the garae (a traditional earth-moving tool) song; the opening verse tells of the origin of the area, the setting of the house site and the history of the owner, and is often sung improvisationally according to the occasion. Once the ground-tamping is finished, it is followed by an after-party in which people eat, drink and make merry late into the night. Cheorwon Sangnori Jigyeongdajigi is a piece of cultural heritage that offers a glimpse of the traditional folk culture and festive spirit of a farming community.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheorwon, Gangwon

Designation

Provincial Intangible Heritage · 시도무형유산