The Gangneung Danoje Preservation Committee announced Thursday it will hold a giuje, or rain ritual, on August 23 at the Daegwallyeong Sanshindeok shrine and Daegwallyeong Guksaseonghwangsa.
GANGNEUNG, Aug. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — With its main water reservoir at a record low and emergency rationing already in place, the eastern coastal city of Gangneung will turn to an ancient tradition in hopes of relief.
The Gangneung Danoje Preservation Committee announced Thursday it will hold a giuje, or rain ritual, on August 23 at the Daegwallyeong Sanshindeok shrine and Daegwallyeong Guksaseonghwangsa. The ceremony will seek divine intervention to end a drought that has left the city of 180,000 facing its worst water crisis in decades.
Gangneung’s Main Water Source Runs Dry — City to Implement 50% Water Meter Lockdown and Begin Rationing from Tomorrow/
The Obong Reservoir, which supplies the majority of the city’s tap water, has fallen to just 20.1 percent of capacity — compared with an average of 69 percent — after six months of rainfall totaling barely half the seasonal norm. Authorities imposed water rationing on August 20, limiting household usage through meter restrictions, while citywide campaigns urge residents to conserve.
As a severe drought grips Gangneung in Gangwon Province, a café owner waters plants with bottled water instead of tap water to conserve supplies.
Local leaders, including Gangneung business and civic representatives, will serve as ceremonial officiants. Following the ritual, shaman Bin Sun-ae will perform a traditional dance to invoke rainfall.
On August 21, in a rural village of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, where heat waves and extreme drought persist, laborers plant scallions while wearing umbrella hats to shield themselves from the scorching sun.
“We are channeling the collective wishes of 200,000 citizens,” said Bin, who also heads the preservation committee. “We pray that the heavens will hear us and send the rain that Gangneung so desperately needs.”
The committee is the guardian of the Gangneung Danoje, a millennium-old festival and UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage, which has long incorporated rituals to honor deities and seek harmony with nature.
Image credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
