Koreans make rice cakes for holidays or important occasions like birthdays. On Seol설, the lunar New Year’s holiday, Koreans made soup with long round bars of rice cake to wish for a long life. Surichwiddeok수리취떡 is the rice cake of choice on Dano단오, when the energy of the sun is said to be the strongest. Sweet rice cakes made with mugwort or wild aster plants are stamped with a wheel pattern, which symbolizes the sun. It is traditional for Koreans to eat songpyeon송편 on Korean Thanksgiving Day. Songpyeon is shaped like a half-moon, because the half-filled moon represents hope for fulfillment as it is going to wax, whereas a full moon has no way to go but to wane. Some scholars claim that the shape of the songpyeon resembles a rice grain, which reflects farmers’ hope for a bountiful harvest. It is a long Chuseok weekend in Korea for the next five days starting today. The COVID-19 pandemic made this year’s holiday completely different from the ones in the past, as the Korean public is advised to stay home instead of traveling to see their friends and families. Still, we need to be generous in heart and spread the holiday spirit. The first piece for this week’s Sounds of Korea is “Gilgunak길군악,” meaning military parade music, performed by gugak국악 ensemble Puri. 

Music 1: Gilgunak/ Performed by Puri

Folk music bands called pungmulpae풍물패 used to travel between villages during the rice planting or fishing seasons to cheer up villagers and applaud their hard work. On holidays the bands would visit different houses to ward off evil spirits and invite good fortune by playing music.

 “Gilgunak,” or military procession music played when the folk bands were traveling from one village to another, was also performed when farmers returned home from weeding in summer. In the past, farmers also served as soldiers during an emergency, so any cheerful and majestic music played during a march was called in the blanket term of “Gilgunak.” Today’s version performed by Puri is a modern rearrangement of the original piece. Next up is “Chugwongyeong축원경,” which means a prayer song. In the old days, professional chanters were called to service on a holiday or at a time when seasons changed or when there was an important family event. They would recite a chant that wishes for a family’s peace and happiness. Professional singers from Hwanghae-do and Pyeongan-do Provinces restructured this recitation into a more enjoyable song, which eventually developed into “Chugwongyeong” that we’re going to listen to today. Here’s Yu Ji-sook singing “Chugwongyeong.” 

Music 2: Chuwongyeong/ Sung by Yu Ji-sook

Koreans hold memorial services on holidays to remember their ancestors. Such rituals, called “charye차례,” require food offerings, oftentimes grand ones with many different dishes favored by the deceased. These days, such lavish spreads of food would put heavy financial and emotional burdens on many people, but it is said that a charye originally was a simple ceremony that involves only an offering of tea. What was more important was that these charye ceremonies offer a chance for the entire family and distant relatives to gather and strengthen their family ties. The last piece for this week’s Sounds of Korea will be “Binari비나리,” which means a prayer. The song begins by preventing malicious spirits from entering the house and ends with a prayer for good fortune. Let’s pray that the COVID-19 pandemic would soon come to an end so that people all around the globe can live without worrying about the virus infection. Today’s “Binari” is sung by Chae Su-hyeon and gugak ensemble Second Moon.

Music 3: Binari/ Sung by Chae Su-hyeon and Second Moon