Content area
Full Text
YEONGSANJAE BUDDHIST RITUAL
Traditional Korean music and dance remains relevant even today as well as providing insights into Korea's heritage and culture.
Earlier this year I had the rare opportunities to watch the Jongmyo Ancestral Shrine Rites (on the first Sunday of May) and the Yeongsanjae Buddhist Ritual (on June 25). The ancestral worship music and dance and the Buddhist rituals performed respectively at the two events offered an opportunity to better appreciate the Korean traditions in music and dance as well as other aspects of the ceremonies.
Both rituals reminded me of the great value of some oft-forgotten and oftneglected parts of Korean heritage. At first sight they may appear old-fashioned and irrelevant in this modern day, but the contrary seems to be the case. Tradition lives on in our private and collective life, helping shape our present and future.
Speaking of Korean traditional music, Korea has inherited one of the oldest repertoires of notated music in the world. Korea started musical exchanges with its neighbors as early as the Three Kingdoms period. The music of Goguryeo was performed at the Sui royal court of China as one of the seven types of music in their repertoire, and later at the Tang court The music and instruments of the Goguryeo, Baekje and Shilla kingdoms were introduced to the Japanese court in the seventh century.
However, one cannot presume to know the rituals in all their aspects and depth after viewing them a few times and going through a few brochures or booklets. Their genesis, development and transformation occurred over many centuries of evolution. The complex, intricate and composite structure of the rites and rituals would indeed call for much research and reflection for more in-depth...