200-Year-Old 'Younghwa-dong Dang Festival' Revived at the Foot of Yeokma Mountain

On the 14th (lunar calendar October 1st), a dang festival was held successfully at the foot of Yeokma Mountain in Younghwa-dong, Jang-an Ward, Suwon, to pray for the harmony and prosperity of local residents.

The Younghwa-dong Dang Festival originates from 200 years ago when King Jeongjo constructed Hwaseong Fortress and relocated residents to an empty area outside Jangmun Gate, establishing the 'Younghwa Station.' It is a traditional event where residents built a shrine on Yeokma Mountain, where the station's horses were managed, and every lunar October 1st, they prayed for a bountiful harvest and village peace and honored their ancestors' virtue. Currently, the shrine has been lost due to war with only its site remaining. In 1997, a grassroots organization called Samowoe was formed as a gathering of elders, and the Younghwa-dong Dang Festival ritual was restored and continued. In 2010, 12 organizations including the Residents' Autonomy Committee gathered to resolve to inherit and develop it as Younghwa-dong's unique local cultural event, and this year marks the third such occasion.

About 200 local residents of Younghwa-dong participated in the ritual ceremony on this day, prayed for regional development, and enjoyed a pleasant time sharing food carefully prepared by the Dang Festival Promotion Committee.