Busan Gijang-gun to Hold 'This Year's Traditional Punggeo Festival' at Ilgwang Chilam Port

Held from 24th to 29th, a Community Harmony Event Praying for a Bountiful Catch and Village Safety

Busan Gijang-gun will hold the ‘2024 Gijang-gun Traditional Bountiful Catch Festival’ for six days from the 24th to the 29th of the first full moon of the lunar year at the Chilam Port area in Ilgwang-eup.

The traditional bountiful catch festival of Gijang-gun held last year at Hakri Port in Ilgwang-eup.

The Bountiful Catch Festival is a unique event in the fishing villages of Gijang-gun that prays for the stability of fisheries, a bountiful catch, and the safety of the village. Along with the reenactment of the Donghaean Byeolsingut, an Important Intangible Cultural Property, a traditional cultural festival where village residents come together in harmony unfolds.

Since long ago, the Gijang area has relied heavily on fishing as an important livelihood, and safety in fishing operations and a bountiful catch in the sea, which is their living space, have been vital parts of life. Each village held annual rituals to pray for these, which became the origin of the Bountiful Catch Festival.

Currently, it has established itself as a festival praying for the well-being and prosperity of the entire village and as a cultural event where tourists can experience traditional culture.

The county has been conducting the festival by selecting one village each year as the Jeju (祭主, ritual leader) from six fishing villages (Daebyeon, Hakri, Chilam, Icheon, Gongsu, Duho) and forming a promotion committee, allowing the village to take the lead in organizing the event. After a temporary suspension due to COVID-19, the festival was held last year in Hakri village, Ilgwang-eup, for the first time in four years, and this year, Chilam village in Ilgwang-eup has taken over the Bountiful Catch Festival.

During the festival, the Donghaean Byeolsingut (Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 82-Gaho) is reenacted. The Byeolsingut has a particularly strong purpose of praying for a bountiful catch, so it is also called the Bountiful Catch Festival itself. It is a village ritual that invites and prays to various gods protecting the village, with meanings including ▲prayers for nature ▲individual health and longevity ▲business prosperity ▲harmony among village residents, and the well-being and prosperity of the entire village. The ritual sequences, such as Cheonwang Gut, Yongwang Gut, Moon Gut, and Jesok Gut, are adjusted according to local circumstances. This year, Chilam village plans to perform a total of 26 ritual sessions.

A representative of the Chilam Village Bountiful Catch Festival Promotion Committee said, “We hope that holding this year’s Bountiful Catch Festival will revitalize the village atmosphere, which has stagnated due to reduced seafood consumption, and strengthen the unity of the resident community.”

Jeong Jong-bok, the county governor, said, “The Bountiful Catch Festival is a unique event in fishing villages that prays for a bountiful catch and the safety of the village, and it is an important traditional cultural asset of Gijang-gun. We will actively support the inheritance and development of our indigenous traditional culture.”