'Water gun fight appears at a thousand-year festival'… Gangneung Danoje Festival, which has changed, opens on the 15th

The Gangneung Danoje Festival, recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and a national intangible cultural asset, is set to open on June 15 and run through June 22 along the Namdaecheon Stream in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. This year's festival centers on the theme 'Pullim, Danoje!', which encapsulates the festival's core value of healing. It signifies moments where participants can release their sorrows during shamanic rites and wash away misfortune with창포 (sweet flag) water, fostering a sense of emotional and relational release.

A dedicated 'Gangneung Danoje Theme Hall' will offer an immersive, multi-sensory experience of this theme. The festival boasts a rich program of 72 events across 13 categories, including traditional rituals, shamanic performances where deities and humans communicate, and one of the nation's largest traditional markets (Nanjang). It will also feature performances of national and regional intangible heritage, citizen participation events, and folk games.

To embody the 'Pullim' theme more vividly, special performances are planned. 'The Gangnam' will unite shamanic rites from the East Sea (Gangneung Dano Gut) and the South Sea (Namhae Byeolsingut), creating a unified narrative. The 'Jindo Ssitgimgut,' a representative national intangible heritage from the Honam region, will showcase another facet of 'Pullim' by helping the deceased find peace, offering a cultural perspective on overcoming death.

In line with its global standing, the festival is enhancing international participation and accessibility. Cultural exchange programs involving the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, China, and Mongolia are scheduled. To accommodate overseas visitors, services such as enhanced guided tours for foreigners and an updated English website are being provided. The festival also aims to foster intergenerational communication and reinterpret tradition for modern times, featuring a 'Retro Danoje' space for nostalgic sharing and introducing the 'Dano Changpo Water Battle' for the first time, a dynamic event where participants cleanse misfortune and wish for health through water gun fights and a 'breaking the gourd' game.

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This year's Gangneung Danoje Festival, in line with the slogan 'Pullim, Danoje!', will be a festival that offers warm healing and vitality to the tired daily lives of visitors. As we enhance our global status and combine cutting-edge technology with regional coexistence, we hope for the great interest and participation of the entire nation.