Jongmyo Daeje Opens to the Public for the First Time in Six Years

The Largest Ancestral Ritual of the Joseon Royal Family

The Jongmyo Daeje (Jongmyo Grand Ancestral Ritual) will be open to the public for the first time in six years.

The National Heritage Administration announced on April 17 that, together with the National Heritage Promotion Agency and the Jongmyo Daeje Committee, it will hold the Jongmyo Daeje at Jongmyo Shrine at 2 p.m. on May 4. This is the largest ancestral ritual performed by the Joseon royal family. It was restored in 1969 and has been maintained ever since. The ceremony is held every year on the first Sunday of May. In 2020 and 2021, it was conducted inside the Main Hall without spectators due to the spread of COVID-19. From the following year until last year, the ritual was held at Yeongnyeongjeon Hall because of restoration work on the Main Hall at Jongmyo Shrine.

Having recently completed repairs on the Main Hall, the National Heritage Administration will hold the Hwananje ritual on April 20, returning the spirit tablets (shinju) of Joseon kings and queens, as well as emperors and empresses of the Korean Empire, which had been temporarily enshrined at the former Seonwonjeon Hall in Changdeokgung Palace, to their original place. As a result, the Jongmyo Daeje held at the Main Hall will be open to the public for the first time in six years, since 2019. The National Heritage Administration explained, "This year is especially meaningful as it marks the 50th anniversary of Jongmyo Daeje's designation as a National Intangible Heritage and the 30th anniversary of Jongmyo Shrine's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site."