Jongmyo Jeonjeon, the main hall of the royal shrine of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), where ancestral tablets of its kings and queens are placed, was unveiled to the public Sunday after extensive restoration on the building since 2020.
The Hwananje ceremony -- the returning of important relics to their original place -- kicked off at 2 p.m. in front of Changdeokgung in Seoul, where ancestral tablets ("sinju") had temporarily been placed. After a ceremonial march of 3.5 kilometers in Jongno-gu, the tablets were carried back to their original place inside the 28 royal palanquins recreated specifically for this event from historical documents on royal ceremonial protocols, according to the Korea Heritage Service.
Korean traditional performances of "pungmulnori" -- also called rural music or "nongak," communal music and rituals using traditional instruments and dancing -- and masked dance drama "talchum" took place in front of Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon era.
The grand opening was to take place at 6:30 p.m., after the parade had arrived at Jongmyo. The Goyuje ceremony, a ritual addressing the gods, is to be conducted in accordance with the traditions.
Some 200 pre-selected guests will take part in the Hwananje ceremony, which includes 1,100 people, escorting the royal tablets back to their resting place.
"We hope that the Hwananje ceremony with the people will herald a new beginning for the newly-restored Jongmyo Jeonjeon, and that the recreation of the ceremonial traditions that continued for 600 years will serve as a link between tradition, now and the future," the Korea Heritage Service said.
Jongmyo, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, is known to be the oldest and most authentic royal Confucian shrine to have been preserved. It was built by Joseon's founding king, Taejo, in 1394, but was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in the 16th century.
It was rebuilt in 1601 and is where the royal ancestral rituals called Jongmyo Jerye are held. Forty-nine sinju tablets of the Joseon kings and queens are placed inside the building.
Jongmyo had come under what the authorities explain was the largest restoration process in its history, following the partial repair of the pillars and the roof from 1989 to 1991. All of the 70,000 roof tiles were replaced with the new ones made in accordance with traditional methods and materials, with traditional bricks replacing the cement in front of the Jeongjeon.
Some 20 billion won ($14 million) was used in total for the repairs.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
