(image: Festival Organizing Committee)
GIMHAE, Aug. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – The first interracial marriage recorded in Korean history, between an Indian princess and King Kim Suro of Geumgwan Gaya 2,000 years ago, is to be re-enacted at a special festival to be held in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province between August 31 and September 2.
The festival will feature the wedding between the king who founded the Geumgwan Gaya Kingdom and Princess Heo Hwang-ok of the Ayuta Kingdom, said to have existed in present-day India.
According to the Samguk Yusa, the princess traveled 10,000 kilometers from India by sea to arrive at the Korean Peninsula.
The festival taking the form of a parade will celebrate the marriage with help of electronic dance music and modernized versions of traditional games.
Members of the public have been invited to take part in the event’s parade. A total of 140 participants in 13 teams have applied to take part in the parade’s contest portion.
The winning team will be given a prize of 10 million won in cash. In addition to the performers in the contest, eight professional teams will be showing off their talents during the parade.
Other experience programs including an Indian film festival await participants and will surely delight the members of public.
The festival is being co-hosted by the local government of Gimhae and the Indian Embassy in South Korea.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
