Wido Ttibaennori (Wondangje Ritual)
Floating a ttibae boat at Wido Ttibaennori (Wondangje Ritual) [1984]Taken in 1984, this photo shows villagers at the shrine about to hold Wido Ttibaennori (Wondangje Ritual) in the village of Dae-ri, Wido.
Villagers preparing to hold a Yongwangje ritual during the Wido Ttibaennori (Wondangje Ritual) [1984]Taken in 1984, this photo shows villagers preparing to hold the Yongwangje Ritual after the Wondangje Ritual in the village of Dae-ri, Wido.
Villagers at the shrine to hold Wido Ttibaennori (Wondangje Ritual) [1984]Taken in 1984, this photo shows villagers preparing to hold the Yongwangje Ritual after the Wondangje Ritual in the village of Dae-ri, Wido.
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LocationDaejang-gil Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryFestival ? Event
- Korean위도 띠뱃놀이[원당제]
- Chinese蝟島-[願堂祭]
- Nickname위도띠뱃굿
- FieldLifestyle & Folklore / Folklore
- Contents TypePlay
- VenueDaejang-gil Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A village ritual performed in the village of Dae-ri, Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do, in which written prayers for peace and a big catch are offered to the local deities.
- Summary
- The word, Wido Ttibaennori, derives from the straw boat (Ttibae) that the villagers of Dae-ri float away as a part of the traditional Yongwang-gut (Dragon King Exorcism). The rite is held at the village shrine located at the top of the Dangjebong Peak to the east of Dae-ri, and thus is also called the "shrine ritual". The name of the shrine, Wondang ("Prayer House"), was given in the belief that prayers offered to the village tutelaries in this shrine are well answered. The shrine where the village tutelary deities are dedicated is a double-bay structure with tiled gable roof. The shrine is dedicated to ten divinities although originally it was enshrined with twelve. The villagers hold the rite to pray for a big catch and peace at the shrine, on January 3 on the lunar calendar.
The shrine was believed to have magical powers by fishermen from other areas as well as the locals. A record about the renovation of the shrine dating from around 1900 states that even people as far away as Ongjin, Hwanghae-do sent money to fund its renovation. It is also said that fishing boats that passed by Wido Island paid homage to this shrine.
The ritual of honoring the village tutelary deity is followed by the ritual of Yongwangje held at the village's seashore where sacrificial offerings are made to the Dragon King. At the end of the ritual, the villagers float a grass boat, symbolically laden with all the bad luck of the year, into the sea, thereby invoking safety and a big catch. The village musicians play traditional folk music, and everyone sings boating songs in chorus, creating a festive mood. The Ttibaennori of Dae-ri held on the third day of the first moth of the year by the lunar calendar consists of the ceremonies of honoring the village tutelary hill (Dangsanje) and prayer house (Wondangje), grass boat making, ritual circuit of the guardian mountain (Jusandolgi), dragon king ritual (Yongwangje), grass boat floating, and post-ritual celebration. The terms, Wondangje and Ttibaennori, refer not only to the individual events constituting the ritualistic festival but the entire festival as well.
The custom of casting a grass boat adrift on the sea at the end of the ritual is also seen in rituals for a big catch performed in other areas along the west coast. While the shamanic rituals of prayer house (Wondanggut) and dragon king (Yongwanggut) are officiated by female shamans, the entire process of the festive event involves the performance of a folk music band (Pungmulpae). The band plays the role of a guide for the ritual officiants and participants when they move to the ritual venue, the role of musicians or priests during the shamanic rituals.
Although the shrine ritual of Wido Island was traditionally a sacrificial rite performed by the villagers of Dae-ri to pray for a big catch and peace, it has now become the representative rite of the whole island. According to the prayers offered in the 1980s, the principal players of the ritual were the entire community of the village while the prayers offered after the mid 1980s show that the ritual was organized and participated by the farmers and fishermen in Wido Island. Also, the ritual has since the mid 1980s been organized by the Wido Ttibaennori Preservation Society. With social changes surrounding the island recently, the ritual has been held as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage event open not only to the islanders who have preserved the ritual but others outside the island.
- Origin
- According to Jeungbo Munheon Bigo (Supplemented Edition of the Reference Compilation of Documents on Korea), Wido Island in the mid-Joseon period contained a few thriving fishing villages where fishermen made their living by herring caught abundantly in spring, attracting merchant boats from all around the country. Wido Island was also a strategic point complete with a naval base. Croakers eventually replaced herring as the main species of fish caught in the waters off Wido Island, promoting the reputation of the island as the center of the Chilsan Fishing Ground. It is thought that the ritual of Wondangje came to be held in earnest particularly when fishermen began to catch many croakers there. Although the catch began to decrease after the 1920s, the ritual has been as a key part of the religious tradition preserved by the inhabitants of Dae-ri in Wido Island.
The shrine in Dae-ri was regarded as an important place not only by local people but also by many fishermen based along the west coast. According to a record of the background of its innovation dating back to about 1900, the renovation project was funded by donations made not just by the owners of fishing boats in Wido Island but also by the owners of fishing vessels, fishermen and merchants in Julpo, Beopseongpo, Bieungdo, Gusan, Gyehwado, Wando and as far as Ongjin in Hwanghae-do. That the donations were gathered from such a large area along the Korea's western coasts shows that the shrine, Wondang, had been in an important position regarding the heritage of folk religion shared by the fishing communities along the Korea's western coasts.
The term, Wondangje (or Shrine Ritual), is used to refer to not only one of several events constituting the Wondangje but also the entire sacrificial ritual held by the fishing community of Dae-ri. The term is interchangeable with Ttibaennori which came to be used more widely after Wido Ttibaennori was chosen to participate in the 19th National Folk Arts Competition held in 1978 as the representative cultural heritage item of Jeollabuk-do and won the President's Prize, the highest honor given by the event. The ritual was also designated as the National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 82-3 on February 1, 1985. There have also been other words used to refer to the ritual such as Wondanggut, Ttibaetgut, and Pungeoje. Before the circulation of the names, local people used the expressions to refer to religious activities such as "to serve as the jeman (i.e. offerings keeper)," "to raise the dang (prayer flag)," or "to float the ttibae (i.e. grass boat)".
In the past the ritual started after sunset, following the performance of a shamanic ritual (gut) with two ritual priests (Hwaju and Wonhwajang) moving to the ritual site, the summit of Dojebong Peak west of the village. Arriving at the ritual site, they cook rice and place it together with other offerings on the altar and, finally, pay tribute to the mountain deity with deep ceremonial bows and a thanksgiving prayer for his protection of the community during the ritual. This ritual of honoring the mountain deity is performed no more.
- Appearance of the Shrine
- The shrine located on top of steep-sloped Dangjebong Peak, to the west of the village features a two-bay building (approx. 10㎡) with gable roof facing south. The name of the shrine, Wondang (literally, "prayer house") is known to have been originated from the belief of the local community that prayers to the deity will be answered. The shrine was originally dedicated to twelve deities who were believed to have been the guardians of the village and the seas around it, but today it is enshrined with eight tutelary deities.
The eight tutelary deities housed in the shrine are Wondang Manura, Bondang Manura, Okjeo Buin, Nonnimne, Sansing, Janggun Seonang and Munsuyeong Daesin. Of the eight, two goddesses, Wondang Manura and Bondang Manura, and one god, Janggun Seonang, are regarded as principal deities. Comparing the 1980s and 2000s, Agissi Seonang of the original pantheon disappeared while Sillyeongnim was changed to Sonnimne.
It is said that even fishermen from other areas paid homage to the shrine during the period when croakers were caught in great quantities in the area. The deities in this shrine had been regarded more divine and more powerful than those in other shrines and, therefore, worshipped not just by the inhabitants of Dae-ri but also many other fishing communities along the western coasts of the Korean Peninsula.
- Procedure
- 1. Preparation of the Shrine Ritual
1) Village meeting
The designation of the Wido Ttibaennori as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Korean government led to the organization of the Wido Ttibaennori Preservation Society. With the date of ritual approaches, the society has a meeting at the community hall to select Hwaju and Hwajang, two principal officiating priests of the Shrine Ritual (Wondangje). Hwaju is the chief officiant who is responsible for the supervision of the preparation and execution of the entire ritual while Hwajang serves as his assistant, helping the chief officiant move and arrange food offerings for the village tutelary deities.
In the period before the designation of the Wido Ttibaennori, the two principal officiants were selected at a village meeting chaired by the village leader (Ijang) who were to be full of vitality, fortune and virtue on the third day of the first month when the ritual would take place. Participants in the meeting also discussed how to fund the ritual and how to collect money. It was also in the village meeting that the villagers of Dae-ri selected, in addition to Hwaju and Hwajang, Jeman who were responsible for the preparation and storage of offerings and assistance to Wonhwajang, respectively. Participants in the village meeting also discussed how to raise the money required to meet the expenses of the ritual, whether it was funded with contributions from all the households of the village or only from boat owners.
2) Purchase and preparation of the ritual items
On the morning of January 2 on the lunar calendar, a procurement team of Hwaju, master performers, and chairperson and general affairs manager of the preservation society purchases all the commodities required for the Shrine Ritual at a market in Gyeokpo, Buan. As a general rule the chief officiant needs to avoid talking with people around him, trading with unrighteous merchants to get the materials he needs for the ritual, and haggling with the vendors for fear that it may bring bad luck. The sacrificial foods and other items offered to the deities include a pig, rice, three-colored thread, etc. All of the officiants strive to maintain a pious and solemn state of mind when they purchase them. Today, the preparation of the food offerings is carried out by the Ttibaennori Education Center.
Prior to the opening of a sea route for passenger boats between Wido and Gyeokpo in 1993, the officiants used to shop at a market in Julpo, Buan, and the purchased goods were kept at the head officiant's house. The preparation of the offerings, which normally took place between December 31 and January 2 by the lunar calendar, was participated not just by the chief officiants, Hwaju and Hwajang, but by their assistants, Jeman and his wife, Buhwajang, and the female shaman who also had a role to play during the ritual. The main sacrifice for the tutelary deity, a pig cooked whole and called Jesuk or Jisuk, was prepared with a boar raised in Wido Island.
3) Cleansing the shrine, etc.
On January 2 by the lunar calendar, the officiants hang straw ropes at the entrance to the village, at the place where the sacrificial items are kept, and at the Dangsan Namu, a tree held to be the village guardian, to prevent bad luck. These straw ropes, Geumjul ("prohibition rope"), used for the purification of the village should be Oensat, or "left twist rope", because it was believed to have been more effective in warding off evil spirits. The preparation for the ritual also involved cleaning the shrine and other ritual venues by villagers who were deemed righteous and cooking food to be offered to the tutelary by the chief officiants and a group of virtuous male members of the village. The food offerings thus prepared, which included boiled pig, rice, wine and fruits in three colors, were then stored at the Trading Center which was temporarily used as the Jeman's house and, later, sorted out by the chief officiant (Hwaju) and female shaman. The participants in the preparation of food offerings were demanded to take utmost care to keep them from any form of improper condition, cleaning themselves thoroughly at the village well called Daerongsaem whenever they needed to handle the offerings.
2. Wondangje (Shrine Ritual)
1) Gathering of the procession to the shrine
On the morning of January 3 on the lunar calendar, the chief officiant, female shaman, Hwajang, the pungmulpae (the village percussion band), boat owners with tutelary flags, and the village males selected to take part in the ritual all gather together at the Training Center. The band plays music in the courtyard of the Center to announce the group's departure for the shrine. All the participants in the ritual move to the Shrine (Wondang) at the summit of Dangjebong Peak.
2) Dangsanje (a sacrificial rite held for the village guardian deity) at the village guardian tree
On their way to the shrine, they stop at the village guardian tree in the east to perform a short ritual to the accompaniment of the band.
3) Placing of sacrificial items and reading of written prayers
Arriving at the Shrine, the two chief officiants together with the female shaman place the sacrificial objects at the shrine; then the chief officiant (Hwaju) offers wine to the village tutelaries and reads out a written prayer, petitioning the deities to expel diseases and bring peace and prosperity to all the villages in Wido Island, including Dae-ri, for the year. After the prayer, the chief officiant and the leader of the musicians take deep ceremonial bows while the female shaman prepares the rite of exorcism.
4) Danggut
The female shaman's rite of exorcism, performed to the accompaniment of a large gong (jing) and hourglass-shaped drum (janggu), was originally consisted of twelve episodes (gut) while today it was reduced to nine, including Seongjugut, Sansingut, Sonnimgut, Jisingut, Seonanggut Segeori, Gitgut and Munjigigut. The musical part of the rite was given by the chief officiant, master musicians or the members of the heritage preservation society. Other participants in the ritual observe the ritual, entertaining themselves with foods and drinks while the village folk music band performs between episodes. The nine episodes forming the rite of exorcism are as follows:
① Seongjugut: Prayers are offered to the Seongju (house guardian deity) for long life, happiness, and a big catch.
② Sansingut: Prayers for peace and happiness are offered to the Mountain Deity.
③ Sonnimgut: Prayers are offered to appease the wrath of Sonnimsin (i.e. Smallpox Deity).
④ Jisingut: Prayers for happiness are offered to Teojusin (Dwelling Site Deity).
⑤ Seonanggut (for Wondang or Bondang Seonang]: Prayers are offered to various tutelary deities (seonang), petitioning them to bless village leaders and the ritual participants.
⑥ Seonanggut (for Aegissi Seonang): Prayers of longevity and happiness for children are offered to Aegissi Seonang.
⑦ Seonanggut (for Janggun Seonang]: Prayers for a big catch are offered to Janggun Seonang.
⑧ Gitgut: A rite performed for boat owners to receive Baeseonang (Boat Tutelary) to be enshrined in their boats for the year.
⑨ Munjigigut: A rite to honor the Munsuyeong Daesin guarding the Shrine, feed hungry ghosts, and comfort vindictive spirits.
5) Gitgut
During this rite (the eighth), the shaman prays for the boat owners' happiness and a big catch and assigns the deities of Baeseonang to boat owners which they would enshrine in their boats as their patron deities. In this episode of the rite the shaman, following the process of burning the prayer paper, asks each boat owner if he would receive the deity she has invited as the patron of the boat with the question such as, "Do you want to devote yourself to Janggun Seonang [Warrior's Deity]?" With the question, the shaman picks up a few rice grains (Sanssal, "counting rice") and puts them on the palm of the boat owner, helping him either accept (when rice grains are of an even number) the offer by putting the rice in his mouth or decline it (when the number is odd). The same process continues for all other boat owners participating in the rite, assigning the patron deities for their boats.
Following the assignment, the shaman's assistant writes on a piece of mulberry paper the names of the boat and the deity assigned to it, giving the paper, called Gitson (or Flag Deity), to the boat owner concerned. Receiving the patron deity, the boat owner ties it onto the top of all the boat flags. In the past, some boat owners had their own private ceremony held at the front yard of their home with the string of flags tied with the patron deity flag, honoring the newly received patron deity of their boat. Each boat owner is supposed to keep the deity in his boat throughout the year and regularly honor it with sacrificial food, praying for its help in securing his safety and bringing a big catch.
3. Making the straw boat and effigies
While the group of village leaders performs the ritual at the shrine, the men of the village make a straw boat and some effigies. The materials required for making the ritual boat and effigies, such as thatching grass or silvergrass, are harvested at the hill behind each village by male members of the community on the second day of the first lunar month. Before that, the villagers also prepare other materials, such as straws, shrubby bushclover, rope, woven straw bags, wooden planks, Styrofoam, and fishing net, using money raised through charity performances by the village folk music band. They make the straw boat by building the basic structure with wooden boards and tree branches, hoist sails made of straw bags on the mast, and bind Styrofoam different parts of the boat to ensure that it floats. Upon its completion, the boat usually measures about 2-3 meters in length, 70-80 centimeters in depth, and 1.5 - 2 meters in width.
Once the straw boat is complete, it is necessary to make five or seven effigies, called either Heosuabi or Heosebi, with exaggerated male genitalia and place them to key parts of the boat. The number five symbolizes the five cardinal directions, East, West, South, North and the Center, while seven the essential number of sailors required for the Korea's traditional fishing boat. These straw effigies played the role of a scapegoat for the entire village community.
4. Going round the hill behind the village
Upon completion of the Shrine Ritual, the participants leave the shrine and head back to the village, stopping along the way in front of a heap of stones, a miniature shrine, where the band play while the chief officiant makes a deep bow and offers sacrificial food. They then head to the Yongwang Bawi (Dragon King Rock) near the sea on the eastern side of the village, where they repeat this rite at a miniature shrine during which special offerings, Dragon King's Meal (Yongwangbap), wrapped in a sheet of mulberry paper is thrown into the sea off the shrine, solacing the vindictive spirits of the villagers who died at sea prayers are offered for safe sailing throughout the year. The female shaman returns to the village after the rite at the Yongwang Bawi and prepares the Yongwanggut (Exorcism for the Dragon King).
The participants at the Shrine (Wondang) return to their village through the route encompassing the village's guardian mountain (Jusan), thus performing the rite of the Guardian Mountain Circumambulation (Jusandolgi). The rite involves a parade to the village tutelary hill (Dangsan) in the east of the village with the performance of the village folk music band and the rite of offering food to the village tutelary tree (Dangsannamu). The ceremonial parade continues with worshippers moving to the village guardian mountain (Jusan) in the north of the village where the offering, cooked rice, is buried at the center of a farming field. The parade is then directed toward the tutelary mountain in the west of the village where the same offering ceremony is held with the chief officiant throwing cooked rice (Dragon King's Meal) in the sea around the Yongwang Bawi (Dragon King Rock). Finally, the procession goes around the main village guardian mountain and reaches the coast of the village where the Dragon King's Ritual takes place.
5. Yongwangje (Ritual for Dragon King)
Upon the village leaders' arrival at the coast of the village, the band plays a lively burst of music, announcing the start of the Yongwanggut (Exorcism for the Dragon King). An officiant reads out a written prayer at the offering table arranged beside the straw boat for the peace of the village and then burns a sheet of paper. Then, the female shaman performs the ritual to the accompaniment of the janggu (hourglass-shaped drum) in order to pray for the peace of the village and a big catch and to console the spirits of villagers who died at the sea. In the past, special offerings were made separately at the coast to sooth the spirits of those who lost their lives while working at seas. During the ritual, even villagers who did not join the lead group at the shrine take part. Once it is over, the sacrificial items and puppets are loaded on the ttibae (straw boat).
6. Sprinkling of cooked rice on the sea
Upon completing the Yongwanggut, a group of female members of the village made special offerings called Julbap or Garaebap, rice cooked with seaweeds and beans, to the solitary underwater spirits of those who died at seas while fishing. Their ceremonial parade along the coast is accompanied by the performance of master folk singers during which they lead the songs such as "Garaejil Sori," "Eyong Sork" and "Sulbae Sori" with refrains sung by the female worshippers offering food to the underwater spirits. The band follows them, playing lively music. Then, everyone returns to the shore in front of the village, where the ttibae (straw boat) is waiting.
7. Floating the Ttibae (Straw Boat)
Upon completing the Yongwanggut and sprinkling cooked rice on the sea, a long rope is tied to the "mother boat" and the ttibae. The boat with musicians and singers on board sets out to sea with the ttibae in tow, while the band plays lively music and a group of singers sing a joyful song, and the villagers left on the seashore see them off. It is said that dozens of boats used to accompany the boats in the olden days. The ttibae is finally cast adrift around the middle of the sea off Chilsan, and the entire village engages in merrymaking upon the tow boat's return.
- Written Prayer
- Before the female shaman's performance at the Shrine Ritual and the Yongwangje, the chief officiant reads a written prayer, a procedure adopted since the villagers' participation in the Nationwide Folk Art Contest. Prayers of Wondangje and Yongwangjae are offered to different deities, one to the Twelve Village Tutelaries and the other to the Dragon King of the Four Oceans, but they are very similar in that both focus on eliminating ill fortune and invoking happiness, prosperity, a big catch, long life and good health. The prayers were read by Yi Bok-dong (1907-1989) of Dae-ri in the 1980s and, in the following period, by Kim Sang-won or Yi Jong-sun who are designated as a heritage holder by the Korean government.
It is noteworthy that since the ritual became the representative event of all the villages on Wido Island, the prayers are no longer read out solely by the people of Dae-ri. In the prayers read by Yi Bok-dong in the 1980s, the prayer offerers were "the community of farmers and fishermen in Dae-ri" or "the villagers of Dae-ri inhabiting under the Wondang Shrine" while in the prayer read by Kim Sang-won at the ritual held in 2007 the prayers were "the village communities in Wido-myeon under the Wondang Shrine."
- Ancillary Events
- After floating the ttibae into the sea, the villagers indulge in merrymaking until late into the night. It is said that in the past they used to engage in treading on the village ground between January 4 and January 15 on the lunar calendar, and on the night of the January 15 (Great Full Moon Day) held a tug-of war for which participants were divided into two groups and compete with two types of ropes. It is also said that during the tug-of-war all the participats chanted "Eyong!" in chorus to create a merry festival atmosphere, and also engaged in various exciting team games such as julnori, pangut (merrymaking accompanied by percussion music), talnori (mask play), and songjangnori (corpse play).
- Current Status
- The Wido Ttibaennori, designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 82-3, is being preserved by the Association for the Preservation of the Wido Ttibaennori. However, various social, economic and environmental problems are inhibiting its preservation, such as the abandonment of the shaman's dance, decline in population and aging, and the devastation of local fishing grounds, so continuous efforts need to be made to ensure its transmission. Although the ritual used to be a fine example of a folk custom that was confined to a particular village and observed according to strict rules and taboos, its conversion into a tourism resource may be one way to preserve it and to reduce the costs incurred by the locals in carrying it out.
- See Also