Jeju’s haenyeo culture is marking 10 years since its inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with the annual Jeju Haenyeo Festival opening Saturday to commemorate the milestone.
The 19th Jeju Haenyeo Festival is being held through Sunday around the Jeju Haenyeo Museum in Gujwa-eup under a theme reflecting on the decade since the UNESCO designation.
Haenyeo are female divers from Jeju Island who harvest seafood by free-diving without oxygen tanks. Their diving techniques, communal practices and knowledge of the sea have been passed down for generations and are considered a distinctive part of Jeju’s culture identity.
Around 1,000 haenyeo, or female divers, from Jeju Island and other parts of Korea gathered for the opening day, which began with a traditional ritual wishing for their safety and an abundant sea. Divers later joined a street parade carrying floats known as tewak and nets called mangsari, both traditionally used while diving.
The festival also features performances, exhibitions and hands-on programs aimed at passing down haenyeo culture to younger generations.
Jeju Island’s haenyeo culture was inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list in November 2016. The number of active divers, however, has fallen sharply from more than 14,000 in 1970 to 2,371 last year.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
