Artist
Korean shamanism and the mudang rite
Korea
EN
Korean Kut.
Mudang – spiritual medium
Shamanic Ritual on Water and Ritual Prayers in the Temple of Many Gods
Shamanism is an intensively living tradition of Korean beliefs. Although at the beginning in Korea shamanism was practised by men too, over the course of time the profession became a woman’s domain. The shamanic rituals performed in Korea are called kut or gut. Kut are performed to ensure good harvests, a big catch, peace or a happy marriage. Rituals may also be performed to ensure the birth of a male descendant, success in business and for healing. Apart from religious practices to ensure the well-being of society, kut are also performed in honour of the deceased to bring them comfort and to show the way to the world of the dead. There are also secret rituals performed by a shaman for initiation or to maintain her mystical power, rituals which she addresses to her spirit guide alone. Shamans mediate in the dialogue between the material and spiritual worlds. Their ability to win favour with supernatural powers means they also practise as exorcists, soothsayers and healers. Each of these ceremonies is connected with a number of ritual activities, which are based on taboos. Before the main part of the ceremony, the mudang purifies the ritual space with water and fire, making it sacred. This purification is accompanied by the piercing sound of a tin drum to scare off evil spirits. After the symbolic cleaning, she dances and sings to invite the supernatural powers to join her. Then the spirits are asked to support the participants in the kut. Rubbing hands joined together in prayer, a gesture of supplication, is alternated with a trance dance performed by the priestess in order to contact the extraterrestrial world. This stage of the ritual ends with the gods speaking through the possessed shaman, promising help to those who ask. If the invited spirits are not eager to cooperate and then the mudang may take more drastic steps to ensure their submission. A key event during this year’s edition of Brave Festival will be the baeyeonsin-gut performed outdoors, in the evening setting of Ostrów Tumski. Scheduled for 7 July, this performance will reveal the atmosphere of a ritual that is on the list of Important Intangible Cultural Properties of South Korea. In reverence to a centuries-old custom, the ritual will take place on a boat and the invoked gods will be asked for an abundant catch at sea: an allegory of success and wealth.
Programme:
Title: Korean Kut. Mudang - Spirit Medium. Shamanic Water Ritual - spektakl zorganizowany dzięki pomocy Odratrans
Place: corner of Xawery Dunikowski boulevard and Garncarska Street
date/hour: 07.07.2009 / 21:30
Price: 20 PLN
TICKET
Title: Korean Kut. Mudang - Spirit Medium. Ritual Prayers in the Temple of Many Gods
Place: Gothic Hall
date/hour: 08.07.2009 / 20:30
Price: 20 PLN
TICKET
Title: Kut. Mudang - Spirit Medium. Ritual Prayers in the Temple of Many Gods
Place: Gothic Hall
date/hour: 09.07.2009 / 18:30
Price: 20 PLN
TICKET
Title: Meeting with Korean Shaman Kim Keum Hwa following the screening of the film “Mudang. Reconciliation Between the Living and the Dead”
Place: Warszawa Cinema
date/hour: 08.07.2009 / 16:00
Price: wstęp wolny
Korea
)
EN Korean Kut.
Mudang – spiritual medium
Shamanic Ritual on Water and Ritual Prayers in the Temple of Many Gods
Shamanism is an intensively living tradition of Korean beliefs. Although at the beginning in Korea shamanism was practised by men too, over the course of time the profession became a woman’s domain. The shamanic rituals performed in Korea are called kut or gut. Kut are performed to ensure good harvests, a big catch, peace or a happy marriage. Rituals may also be performed to ensure the birth of a male descendant, success in business and for healing. Apart from religious practices to ensure the well-being of society, kut are also performed in honour of the deceased to bring them comfort and to show the way to the world of the dead. There are also secret rituals performed by a shaman for initiation or to maintain her mystical power, rituals which she addresses to her spirit guide alone. Shamans mediate in the dialogue between the material and spiritual worlds. Their ability to win favour with supernatural powers means they also practise as exorcists, soothsayers and healers. Each of these ceremonies is connected with a number of ritual activities, which are based on taboos. Before the main part of the ceremony, the mudang purifies the ritual space with water and fire, making it sacred. This purification is accompanied by the piercing sound of a tin drum to scare off evil spirits. After the symbolic cleaning, she dances and sings to invite the supernatural powers to join her. Then the spirits are asked to support the participants in the kut. Rubbing hands joined together in prayer, a gesture of supplication, is alternated with a trance dance performed by the priestess in order to contact the extraterrestrial world. This stage of the ritual ends with the gods speaking through the possessed shaman, promising help to those who ask. If the invited spirits are not eager to cooperate and then the mudang may take more drastic steps to ensure their submission. A key event during this year’s edition of Brave Festival will be the baeyeonsin-gut performed outdoors, in the evening setting of Ostrów Tumski. Scheduled for 7 July, this performance will reveal the atmosphere of a ritual that is on the list of Important Intangible Cultural Properties of South Korea. In reverence to a centuries-old custom, the ritual will take place on a boat and the invoked gods will be asked for an abundant catch at sea: an allegory of success and wealth.
Programme:
Title: Korean Kut. Mudang - Spirit Medium. Shamanic Water Ritual - spektakl zorganizowany dzięki pomocy Odratrans
Place: corner of Xawery Dunikowski boulevard and Garncarska Street
date/hour: 07.07.2009 / 21:30
Price: 20 PLN
TICKET
Title: Korean Kut. Mudang - Spirit Medium. Ritual Prayers in the Temple of Many Gods
Place: Gothic Hall
date/hour: 08.07.2009 / 20:30
Price: 20 PLN
TICKET
Title: Kut. Mudang - Spirit Medium. Ritual Prayers in the Temple of Many Gods
Place: Gothic Hall
date/hour: 09.07.2009 / 18:30
Price: 20 PLN
TICKET
Title: Meeting with Korean Shaman Kim Keum Hwa following the screening of the film “Mudang. Reconciliation Between the Living and the Dead”
Place: Warszawa Cinema
date/hour: 08.07.2009 / 16:00
Price: wstęp wolny
