Local artists will recite traditional Vietnamese poetry, play music and exhibit local artwork.
Panpipe and gong performances will be featured and members of the H’re ethnic minority group will perform kaleu (H’re traditional folk songs) accompanied by ching and aradon (H’re musical instruments).
Artisan Le Cong Lich and a band from Quang Ngai’s Duc Pho District will perform traditional hat sac bua, a type of music indigenous to south-central Vietnam featuring cylindrical drums and coin-stringed castanets.
Artists from Jeju Island will offer unique performances of the Gut dance, sand animation, Jeju folklore, folk songs and presentations of traditional Jeju literature.
The Korean gut, which means “service” in reference to Korean shamanism, is a rite in which the shaman offers a sacrifice to the spirits and implores them to intercede in the fortunes of the world.
The shaman wears a colorful ritual costume and channels the spirits through song and dance.
Jeju “mermaids” are perhaps the most unique of the island’s cultural features.
Called haenyeo, these women collect shellfish by diving some 20-meters deep holding their breath for up to two minutes wearing only goggles and a lead-weighted vest.
The women have played an important role in the island economy and culture ever since men stopped diving for shellfish in the 19th century due to heavy taxes that were not levied on women.
The island’s women took up the job and were soon the major breadwinners in their families; hence the beginning of a matrilineal slant to traditional life and culture on the island.
Visitors to the festival can also see a model of a traditional Jeju house, which has no front door or gate.
People traditionally set wooden bars called jeongnang across the entrance to the house, which served as a message between visitors and the owner.
One bar up meant that the owner would return in a short while.
Two bars up meant the owner would not be home for a longer period of time.
All three bars up meant that he or she would not return at all that day.
A photo exhibition will highlight Jeju’s natural beauty with shots of Mount Halla – the highest peak in South Korea – Baeknok Lake, Manjanggul Lava Tube Cave and the Dolharbang Grandfather Stone.
Jeju is a special self-governing province and is the country’s largest island.
Due to the relative isolation of the island, the people of Jeju have developed a culture and language distinct from those of mainland Korea.
The island’s Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes were recognized by UNESCO as a Natural World Heritage Site last year.
A Vietnamese art troupe, led by Thanh Thao, a poet and President of Quang Ngai Provincial Literature and Arts Association, launched a cultural exchange program on the island last April.
Reported by Quang Thi |
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