Festivals Calendar - October 2022

▲ A photo of Imsil N Cheese Festival captured from the festival's website (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ A photo of Geumsan Insam (Ginseng) Festival captured from the festival's website (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ A photo of Andong International Mask Dance Festival captured from the festival's website (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo captured from the homepage of the Pine Mushroom Festival shows a promotional poster for the festival. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This image provided by the Suwon city government shows the night view of Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, about 50 kilometers south of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This image is captured from the website of Icheon Rice Cultural Festival. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Festivals Calendar-October 2022

Festivals Calendar - October 2022

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- The following are major cultural and tourist festivals scheduled to be held in South Korea in October.

* Imsil N Cheese Festival

When: Oct. 7-10

Where: Imsil Cheese Theme Park, Imsil Cheese Village, North Jeolla Province

Imsil N Cheese Festival is an experience-oriented tourist festival aimed at promoting Imsil's special cheese products.

The southern county of Imsil has been producing cheese as a local specialty, and the festival capitalizes on it to galvanize the local economy and attract tourists from outside of the county.

For more information, call 063-643-3900 or visit www.imsilfestival.com.

* Geumsan Insam (Ginseng) Festival

When: Sept. 30-Oct. 10

Where: Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province

Geumsan is famous for its high-quality ginseng. The Insam Festival, held every September since 1981, is a traditional cultural event in which villagers pray for a good harvest the following year. Programs include ginseng harvesting, performances of traditional arts and rituals, concerts, an international ginseng trade fair, a ginseng cooking competition and more.

For more information, call 041-750-4147 or visit www.insamfestival.co.kr.

* Andong International Mask Dance Festival

When: Sept. 29-Oct. 3

Where: Andong and Hahoe Village, North Gyeongsang Province

Historically, the mask dance was used to indirectly criticize the "yangban" class, or the ruling elite of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), by the common people.

Direct criticism of the yangban was strictly forbidden during that time, so the common people satirized the yangban from behind masks, developing the craft into various forms of mask dances with regional variations.

Visitors to Hahoe Village, one of the two South Korean villages added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2010, can see the villages' Confucian cultural characteristics.

For more information, call 054-840-6397~8 or visit the website at www.maskdance.com.

* Pine Mushroom Festival

When: Sept. 30-Oct. 2

Where: Namdaecheon Stream Event area, Yangyang, Gangwon Province

Known to many as "golden mushrooms," "diamonds in the woods" or "mystic and magical mushrooms," songi mushrooms that naturally grow under old pine trees are strictly prohibited from public access. However, at the Pine Mushroom Festival, visitors may tour the natural habitat of these luxurious and precious mushrooms, pick them and sample dishes made with them.

For more information, call 033-1330 or log onto the website at yymsfestival.com.

* Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival

When: Oct. 7-9

Where: Hwaseong Haenggung, Yeonmudae and other places in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province

Celebrating its 59th anniversary this year, the Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival is one of the largest culture and tourism festivals in Korea. Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, situated about 50 kilometers south of Seoul, is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, and commemorates the filial affection and innovations of King Jeongjo, the 22nd monarch of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), who built the fortress. Over the years, the Hwaseong Cultural Festival has become established as a quintessential regional cultural festival that promotes the traditional culture and arts of Suwon. Events will include re-enactments of King Jeongjo's parade to the royal tomb and a people's parade, a liquor-serving ceremony for royal ancestors and a re-enactment of Queen Hyegyeonggung Hong's 60th birthday feast. For more information, call 031-290-3564 or visit the website (shcf.kr).

* Icheon Rice Cultural Festival

When: Oct. 19-23

Where: Seolbong Park, Icheon, Gyeonggi Province

For thousands of years, rice has been the key staple grain for Korean people, and Icheon, a town south of Seoul, is famous for its high-quality rice that was served to the kings and queens of Korea. Programs will include a reenactment of the parade that transported rice to Hanseong (the old name for Seoul) to present to the king, a huge rice cauldron that is capable of feeding thousands of people and a straw crafting contest. Various performances of traditional music, dance and folk plays will entertain visitors, who will also have the chance to buy this year's crop of Icheon rice and experience traditional agricultural in the farm town.

For more information, call 031-644-4125 or log onto the website (www.ricefestival.or.kr).

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