Welcome to “Sounds of Korea” on KBS WORLD Radio. This traditional music program invites you to deepen your understanding about Korean traditional music by taking a closer look at various music-related topics every week. Today, we’ll learn about the ancient exorcist rituals. I’m your host ________. Please stay tuned, I’ll be back shortly.

Masks often make people feel bolder, like they are a different person. Ancient people thought that a mask could turn a person into a being that has supernatural powers. So in the past, Koreans wore masks when they performed rituals to chase away evil spirits. In royal households in the Joseon period, a ritual to exorcise malicious spirits was held at the end of the year. During the ritual, a dancer would perform an exorcism dance wearing a mask with four eyes. In a dance called Cheoyongmu처용무, the lead dancer in the role of Cheoyong would wear a mask resembling Cheoyong, who supposedly defeated the god of pestilence in the Silla era. The evil spirits were probably metaphors for all the concerns and troubles that plagued people. Maybe people of the old days released their grudges and worries by dancing wildly in disguise.

Music 1: 달아 달아 밝은 달아/ 안정아와 예쁜 아이들 노래
Dear Moon, Dear Moon, Dear Bright Moon/ Sung by Ahn Jung-ah and Pretty Children

That song “Dear Moon, Dear Moon, Dear Bright Moon” is written by Kim Sung-gook. It was sung by Ahn Jung-ah and a traditional children’s choir called Pretty Children. The piece was a modern adaptation of the Silla era’s popular song “Cheoyongga처용가” or “The Song of Cheoyong.” Ancient Koreans chased away demons at the end of the year, while preventing malicious spirits from entering the house at the start of the year. To Koreans malicious spirits usually meant bad aura that would bring misfortune and bad health to a person or a household. In the old days a ritual called aegmaegi액맥이 would be performed at the beginning of the year to prevent bad fortune from coming into a house. A shaman priestess would preside over the preventive service. Occasionally an effigy of a person thought to have had bad luck that year would be thrown out on the street, supposedly carrying off the bad fortune with it. At this time of year, folk bands sang aegmaegi songs. These songs describe how an otherworldly general protects each of the four directions and the ways to avoid bad luck in each season.

Music 2: 액맥이/ 노래 아리수
Aegmaegi/ Sung by Arisu

The song you just heard was titled “Aegmaegi” and sung by Arisu. This type of music helped to put people’s minds at ease in the past. The next piece of music you’re going to hear is called “Pagyeong”. In lunar January, ancient Koreans held commemorative rituals for household gods. For the occasion, a professional reader called “pansu” was hired to read the scriptures during the service. After the reading, a scripture song called “pagyeong” was sung to drive away the demons.

For the ghost of a young bride who suffocated on a piece of rice cake she had stolen from the in-laws, eat this and go away! For the ghost of a two-timer who had frozen to death waiting for his married lover in the middle of a winter night, eat this and go away!

It seemed in the old days that people were generous enough to feed vengeful spirits before banishing them to the netherworld. Today’s last song is “Pagyeong” sung by Yu Ji-sook.

Music 3: 파경/ 유지숙 소리
Pagyeong / Sori by Yu Ji-sook

That’s all for this edition of “Sounds of Korea.” Thank you for joining me. This has been ______. Good-bye.