Ganggangsullae

Ganggangsullae
Korean name
Hangul
강강술래 or 강강수월래
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGanggangsullae; Ganggangsuwollae
McCune–ReischauerKanggangsullae; Kanggangsuwŏllae
Ganggangsullae song

Ganggangsullae (Korean: 강강술래) is an ancient Korean dance that was first used to bring about a bountiful harvest and has developed into a cultural symbol for Korea. It incorporates singing, dancing, and playing and is exclusively performed by women.[1] The dance is mostly performed in the southwestern coastal province of South Jeolla Province.[1][2] It is often associated with the Chuseok holiday and Daeboreum and is performed when the full moon rose above the mountains [1][3] They dance all night and continue to play folk games in circles.[4] The performance starts with a late Ganggangsullae and changes to a 'Jajeun-Ganggangsullae', which are characterized by the most beautiful and feminine charms of late Ganggangsullae, and 'Jung-Ganggangsullae" only in Haenam and Jindo regions.[5]

The dance was registered as the UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage from Korea in 2009.[6]

  1. ^ a b c I-hwa Yi (2006). Korea's pastimes and customs: a social history. Homa & Sekey Books. pp. 79–92. ISBN 978-1-931907-38-5. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  2. ^ "Ganggangsullae Dance". Archived from the original on 2011-06-13.
  3. ^ Yi, I.-hwa (2006). Korea's Pastimes and Customs: A Social History. Homa & Sekey Books. ISBN 978-1-931907-38-5.
  4. ^ "강강술래". terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  5. ^ Ganggangsullae (Circle Dance) Korea Heritage Service
  6. ^ "Ganggangsullae". UNESCO.