24 Solar Terms

Traditionally, Korea has had 24 "jeolgi" seasons, like many East Asian countries. These 24 seasons were based on the lunar calendar. While the west used the solar calendar which is based on the earth's rotation around the sun and a solar year division of 4, the east used the lunar calendar based on the phases of the moon and from moon phases calculated the seasons and dates within them. [This system took into account that some years actually had 13 months and could still effectively plan agricultural and fishing success!] With this kind of calculation, time was divided into segments of four based on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices. And exactly between these four were the beginning of spring, summer, fall and winter, and between those divisions were the waxing and the waning periods ... totalling 24 seasons.

Sounds complicated, but the "seasons" were efficiently and scientifically calculated to harmonize the predominantly agricultural and fishing society with the subtle climactic changes in the year -- for example, frosts, cold snaps, the warm spring rains, the periods of extreme heat. Following the 24 seasons insured success in both the planting and harvesting and in maritime work.

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Every semester I get truly insightful presentations from my Public Speaking students. While Korea has a history of using the 24 seasons, instead of the typical 4 used by westerners, in the present day and age with a radical drop in agriculture and fishing, the 24-season concept is no longer needed and so for several decades has not been taught. To my huge delight, two Chinese and one Mexican students explored Chinese seasonality for their culture-related presentation. This cyclical clock apparently developed in China but of course was also used in Korea. Thank you Michelle, Xiaohui and Jiayin for providing me with information I've heard about but struggle to find in present-day literature!

This PPT largely represented Chinese culture. While Korea also used a 24-season calendar and there were some cultural foods shared between cultures, e.g. moon cakes / rice cakes on harvest moon day, the majority of seasonal foods are unique to their own specific cultures. For more on Korean "cheolgi" food, GastroTourSeoul gives a "taste" of specific foods and how that food fits on the cheolgi cycle.

Korean Temple Food Culture Experience Center

Near Anguk Station (line 3) is the Korean Temple Food Culture Experience Center. On weekends special cooking classes are offered, but for those who don't have time to sign up or are unfortunate in signing up too late for the limited 20-person participation per event, then just popping into the center to see the spectacular food display is educational in itself!

The food is displayed by seasonal foods and festive event foods. However, it's important to say that Korean Buddhist food is (1) based on the whole and nature food concepts valued in current society (making it very popular), (2) it's based on vegetarianism and the concept of living in harmony with the animal world and not having a hierarchical food chain, and (3) it has limitations on five foods (onions, garlic, chives, green onions and leeks) that excite the senses and affect those in the early stages of cultivation.

Natural food ingredients:

• Soy sauce, soybean paste, red pepper paste, and salt are often used to create the salty taste of temple food. 
• Honey, brown sugar, white sugar, and starch syrup are used for sweetness. 
• Spicy flavors are provided by ginger, red pepper powder, red peppers, green peppers, piperitum leaves or powders, and occasionally black pepper and mustard. 
• Some of the condiments used include: vinegar for the sour taste; sesame seeds, perilla seeds, sesame oil, perilla oil, and soybean oil for savoriness. 
• Kelp, shitake mushrooms, dried Cedrela sinensis branches, and white radish are flavor enhancers. 
• Chinese pepper, bang-a (Korean mint), and perilla seeds improve and balance flavors.

Three Merits and Six Tastes:

Traditionally temple food should have three merits and six tastes. The three merits are: purity (referring to cleanliness and freshness of ingredients), flexibility (from the tenderness of food); compliment tastes of all ingredients used.

The six tastes are: saltiness, sourness, sweetness, bitterness, spiciness, and astringency, all of which must be in harmony.

However, the tastes and aromas of temple food are unavoidably limited, as the usage of meat and the five pungent vegetables (onion and onion family) are prohibited. Buddhist monks and nuns have overcome this challenge by developing a variety of natural seasonings and spices. These natural seasonings and recipes created in each temple, and passed down orally, have resulted in the establishment of a unique culinary tradition.

NEW YEAR'S EVE:
braised shitake mushroom with white radish
yaksik
seasoned white radish
kimchi dumplings
japchae

On New Year's Eve, all-night prayer and practice, courageous waking meditative practice, or a Dharma assembly marking the New Year are commonly held at Buddhist temples --- though events vary by temple. On this special day, yaksik (literally "medicinal food") or sweet rice with nuts and jujubes, dumplings, assorted side dishes made of white radish, and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables) are enjoyed.

SEOLAL (LUNAR NEW YEAR'S DAY):
Monastics at mountain hermitages prepare and exchange offerings to each other. Dumplings, rice cakes, and gangjeong (deep-fried rice puff) are commonly shared. Samja (deep-fried sweet rice cookies) and gangjeong are made by frying glutinous rice dough in boiling oil

SPRING:
deep-fried assorted mushrooms with sweet and spice sauce
stir-fried noodles and spring vegetables
temple-style vegetarian dumplings
cherry tomatoes pickled in Korean raspberry marmalade
gardenia fruit rice
shepherd's purse soybean paste stew

SPRING:
stir-fried glass noodles and bamboo shoots
seasoned Kalopanax sprouts
fried dried ???
braised banga (Korean mint) leaves
Fischers ragwort Kimchi
mugwort rice
shepherd's purse and bean sprout soup

BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY:
water parsley ganghoe
glutinous rice cakes
parched beans
shredded white radish
water parsley bibimbap
spinach soybean paste soup

On Buddha's birthday, songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes), black beans, water parsley, and seasoned vegetables were often prepared to welcome temple visitors, as the eighth day of the fourth lunar month was a widely celebrated folk holiday even outside of Buddhist communities. Bibimbap, water parsley ganghoe, and roasted beans are also offered to visitors at Buddhist temples on Buddha's birthday.

SUMMER: 
Fresh ginseng and vegetables rolled with sliced zucchini
stir-fried sliced potatoes with perilla seeds
stuffed summer squash
sichuan pepper leaf and young summer radish kimchi
steamed butterbur with perilla seeds
green tea leaf rice
soybean paste sauce

SUMMER:
stir-fried dried acorn jelly
potato porridge
chilled ginger and eggplant salad
seasoned Korean melon
pickled radish
seasoned thistle with rice
butterbur perilla seed soup

SAMBOK (the hottest period of summer):
watermelon dipped in soybean paste
lettuce kimchi
zucchini pancakes
lotus flower tea
piperitum jangajji
noodles in cold soybean and pine nut soup

Temple monastics endure hot weather by eating cold noodles in thick soybean soup, which not only helps beat the heat, but also provides sufficient water and nutrition. Possible stomachaches arising from watermelon, another temple thirst-quencher, are avoided by slightly dipping the watermelon in soybean paste.

AUTUMN:
deep-fried ginseng
deep-fried mushroom with sweet and spicy sauce
steamed burdock
oyster mushroom and radish salad
perilla leaf chili paste pancakes
rice
mushroom and sichuan pepper leaf soup with perilla seeds

AUTUMN:
grilled burdock
lotus root and green laver pancakes
mushroom and radish dumplings
diced radish kimchi
salted seaweed
deodeok rice
taro soup

CHUSEOK (KOREAN THANKSGIVING):
three-colored songpyeon
three-color dasik (tea cookies)
sweet rice punch

Oryeo sonpyeon (half-moon rice cakes made of early-ripening rice), sweet rice punch made of newly harvested rice, and newly harvested fruits are used in Chuseok ancestral rites. At Buddhist temples, rice cakes, fruit, cinnamon punch, sweet rice punch, and tea (like the 6 offerings to the Buddha) are offered to the Buddhist altar for prayers. Mungbean pancakes and songpyeon are especially significant offerings during the Harvest Moon Festival.

WINTER:
deep-fried lotus root stuffed with tofu
whole pear stuffed with white kimchi
jujube and tofu dumplings
seasoned dried persimmon
watery seaweed salad
gulfweed and hijikia rice
dried zucchini stew

WINTER:
stir-fried mushroom and assorted vegetables with soybean paste
deep-fried neungi mushroom with sweet and spicy sauce
braised dried radish greens with soybean paste
seasoned walnut and sinchuan pepper leaf with spicy sauce
pickled radish fermented with gardenia fruit
steamed sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves
pine mushroom soup

Foods developed by various temples:

Baekyang Temple:
Cedrela pancakes
steamed tofu topped with water parsley
sedum water kimchi
stir-fried lotus root and walnuts
seasoned dried radish
shitake mushroom and tofu rice
battered aralia sprouts and bean soup

Yeongseon Temple:
stir-fried noodles and chili pepper
seasoned sliced potato
grilled perilla leaves
pickled radish
sauteed beans seasoned with sauce
rye rice
butterbur stem soybean paste stew

Unmun Temple:
seasoned radish leaves
deep-fried shepherd's purse
mugwort pancakes
seasoned day lily
seasoned whiteman's foot
peanut glutinous rice
mugwort soup

Koun Temple:
seasoned buckwheat
radish leaves seasoned with rich soybean paste
braised burdock leaves
acorn jelly
braised peanuts
rice with assorted nutritious ingredients
taro soup

Jinkweon Temple:
grilled deodeok seasoned with soy sauce
kimchi
braised tofu
pickled cedrela
prickly ash pepper soy sauce
millet rice
neungi mushroom soup

Baekheung Hermitage:
braised tofu and chestnuts
kimchi with chili pepper seeds
grilled burdock coated with sticky rice porridge
kohlrabi salad
pickled ogapi
radish rice
Chinese cabbage and bean powder soup

OTHER FOOD CULTURES:

Mugwort Gathering Day:
mandarin oranges
gimbap (seasoned rice rolls)

When traveling to nearby mountains for gathering mugwort, gimbap (seasoned rice rolls), mandarin oranges, and cucumbers (all regularly found in temple kitchens) are packed.

TONSURE DAY FOOD:
laver
tofu pancakes
cooked glutinous rice
seaweed soup

Buddhist monks and nuns take the tonsure twice each month of the lunar calendar -- on the 14th day and the second to last day of the month. They regain energy lost due to tonsure by eating cooked glutinous rice, laver, tofu pancakes, and seaweed soup.

A monk's breakfast table:
steamed tofu roots
pine nut porridge
steamed sweet potatoes

simple meals, such as porridge or steamed vegetables, are often served on a monastic's breakfast table, as a heavy breakfast could hinder spiritual studies.

Raw food:
Eminent Buddhist monks traditionally ate a variety of raw foods when engaged in intensive meditation or during waking meditative practice. Non-glutinous rice and glutinous rice are soaked in water a day prior to serving so that they may be easily chewed. Iron is received from pine needle powder, heat from honey and jujubes, energy from Chinese matrimony vines, protein from black beans, and carbohydrates and fiber from chestnuts ... thus all essential nutrients are provided.

Good foods for fighting colds:
bonnet bellflower root jangajji
white radish jangajji
stir-fried radish greens
kimchi and bean sprouts porridge
neungi mushroom soup

Neungi mushroom soup, and kimchi and bean sprout porridge are good for preventing or fighting colds as they help raise body temperature.

Shaman Festival, Gyeryongsan

Hippie Korea tour group organized a trip to the "princess festival" (as translated online ) at Gyeryongsan, Gyeryongsan has been regarded as a sacred mountain since ancient times, and documented as such since the Silla Dynasty. During the Joseon Dynasty XX temple on Gyeryongsan positioned strategically and geomantically-speaking between Mt. Myohyang to the north and Jiri Mts to the south was dedicated to the mountain, which thus became its national guardian. The mountain also created a unique aspect of Korean Buddhism, the "sanshin prayer" which is making hopes and expressing wishes to the mountain god. For civilians, the mountain god was the object of praying for fertility and the birth of a son, and for shamans the mountain god is an objective source of energy. Shamanic practices have been central to this mountain culture and, until the Japanese colonial period when many traditional Korean cultural expressions were prohibited, were conducted annually here. 

After the colonial period, shamanic practices were quickly reinstated and Gyeryongsan is arguably one of the strongholds of Korean shamanism. However, with the influences of modernism and on-going dynamic culture changes the people of Gyeryongsan Jarak Village have changed their ceremony and incorporated it into a festival that invites tourism. That said, it is still a type of national ceremony.

So a busload of international people descended on the festival, and the locals were delighted. Several special farmers' dances had been prepared, but the best dancing was done by a group of elderly villagers, mostly men over 60, who pounded out the beat with great enthusiasm, although always in sync. They had real character! I've heard a lot of farmers' drum groups but these guys far excelled all others because they played like they felt the music, and they danced raucously while playing like the act of sharing music was a wild and enervating experience. Well, I'm convinced it was for them, and by extension to all the viewers as well! And like in all Korean traditional performances, there is no barrier between the performers and the audience, and so the audience was naturally expected to participate in the dancing, and yes the drinking of makgeolli too ... which large numbers did!

The festival performance included role play between historical characters, had a reenactment of a gut (exorcism), included a women's dance representing the dignity and properness of the upperclass, and between performances the audience was fed ddeok for comensal eating and plied with makgeolli for the same purpose.

The entrance to the festival site with jangseung appropriately standing to fend off evil. In traditional times the jangseung, the yin-yang couple, were positioned along the roads the led into villages. They were the sentinels of the village and thought to ward off evilness with their ugly faces.

best drumming group ... really warming the audience up!

By popular request at the end of this particular day at the festival, the elderly-men (mostly) drummers were requested to pound out their invigorating beats again!

A beautiful display of real food for this country festival!  Of late, I've been seeing plastic foods and sweets because of food expense and the subsequent waste of ceremonial food so this display is quite impressive.

The pig, especially a smiling pig, brings good luck to shamanic festivals.

The large basin in front of the pig is filled with makgeolli, and people with petitions come up and dip a bill of money, typically W10,000, into the makgeolli and paste it onto the pig. Unfortunately the wind was blowing and the bills kept flying off the pig ..... does this mean that luck or one's wishes fly away? Hmm, didn't ask.

A very rich display of wealth for the ceremony presented here! Plus, displaying the lucky smiling pig!
Fortune will shine on this village!

Korea & UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Korea takes great pride in being recognized by UNESCO for its cultural heritage. As for right now, 1 January 2018, the UNESCO World Heritage Center lists South Korea as having 11 world heritage sites, 1 natural heritage site, and 16 more on the tentative list.

As for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in South Korea, at present there are 19 elements inscribed, one classified as ongoing (2018), and 25 on the backlog nomination list. 

19 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements inscribed:

2016: Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (women divers)
2016: Falconry, a living human heritage
2015: Tugging rituals and games
2014: Nongak, community band music, dance and rituals in the Republic of Korea
2013: Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea
2012: Arirang, lyrical folk song in the Republic of Korea
2011: Jultagi, tightrope walking
2011: Taekkyeon, a traditional Korean martial art
2011: Weaving of Mosi (fine ramie) in the Hansan region
2010: Gagok, lyric song cycles accompanied by an orchestra
2010: Daemokjang, traditional wooden architecture
2009: Namsadang Nori
2009: Yeongsanjae
2009: Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut
2009: Ganggangsullae
2009: Cheoyongmu
2008: Royal ancestral ritual in the Jongmyo shrine and its music
2008: Pansori epic chant
2008: Gangneung Danoje festival

Jongmyo Jerye & Jeryeak ... royal ancestral ritual in the Jonmyo shrine and its music

Pansori epic chant ... with a story-telling singer and a drummer
perhaps this pansori singer is singing the famous Arirang, another intangible heritage

One on-going nomination (not inscribed so no links as yet)

2018: Ssireum, traditional wrestling in the Republic of Korea

25 backlogged nominations (not inscribed so no links as yet)

2013: Yeondeunghoe, lighting lantern festival
2012: Korea's programme for documenting intangible cultural heritage (ART18)
2012: Music of Daegeum and Piri, traditional Korean wind instruments
2012: Music of Gayageum, a traditional Korean string instrument
2012: Craftsmanship of Gat, men's horsehair hats
2010: Hakyeonhwadae-hapseolmu, the crane and lotus flower dance
2010: Hahoe Byeolsingut Tallori, mask dance drama of Hahoe
2010: Gyeonggi-do Dodanggut, tutelary rite of Gyeonggi province
2010: Bawijeol village funeral rehearsal play
2010: Naju Saetgolnai, cotton weaving of Naju
2010: Gasa, narrative songs
2010: Sagijang, ceramics
2010: Seokjang, stonework
2010: Jasujang, embroidery
2010: Chiljang, lacquer craft
2010: Gakjajang, calligraphic engraving
2010: Mokjogakjang, wood sculpture
2010: Yundojang, making geomantic compasses
2010: Wanchojang, sedge work
2010: Yeomsaekjang, dyeing with indigo
2010: Somokjang, wooden furniture construction
2010: Seonjajang
2010: Munbaeju, Munbae liquor
2010: Myeoncheon Dugyeonju, Dugyeonju liquor of Myeoncheon
2010: Gyeongju Gyodong Beopju, Beopju liquor of Gyodong, Gyeongju

a musician wearing a gat (horse-hair hat) playing the gayageum, a zither-like instrument

Haenyeo Museum, Jeju

The English version of the travel booklet Jeju Haenyeo published November 2015 by Haenyeo Museum explains about the traditional diving women of Jeju Island, the haenyeo, or literally the "sea women". Excerpts from the booklet follow:

Haenyeo Museum

Haenyeo, also called jamnyeo, the women divers, only exist in Jeju Island and Japan. The terms refers to them as women who gather seaweed, abalone, or other shellfish from the sea. Because of the very uniqueness of this diving profession, they have been the focus of much attention from around the world.

Haenyeo are the symbol of Jeju women as they were the bulwark of Jeju's economy, going on long expeditions to Japan as well as other parts of Korea. As strong tenacious hold on life and pioneering spirit is characteristic of the haenyeo. 

It is believed that fishermen harvested abalone during the Joseon Dynasty. In a Jeju Topography written by Lee Gun in 1629, it is recorded that haenyeo harvested abalone. Records of haenyeo are also found in bibliographic data such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Jiyoungrok, written by Lee Ik Tae, and Jonjaejeonseo by We Baek Gue.

Jeju's hanyeo also had a significant role in leading the anti-Japanese movement, fighting for their rights against the Japanese exploitation as one of the largest such movements nationwide.

It is our sincerest hope to build a museum on this historic site and develop a 21st century cultural arts mecca so that we can pass on and preserve Jeju's haenyeo culture, which has been acknowledged as a world heritage asset.

Jeju Haenyeo

Jeju haenyeo make their living by harvesting abalone, conch, sea cucumber, and hijiki from the ocean. The women are called jamsu, jamnyeo and jamsu [sic] in Jeju. Their lives are an integral part of the history of Jeju. The job they do in the sea is call muljil.

Diving seems to have begun before the period of the Three States, judging from the fact that Jeju had a record of contributing pearls to the king. It is believed that fishermen harvested abalone and presented them during Joseon Dynasty. Jeju Topography written by Lee Gun in 1629 recorded that haenyeo harvested abalones. The records of haenyeo are recorded on bibliographic data such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Jiyoungrok written by Lee Ik Tae, and Jonjaejeonseo by We Baek Gue.

Jeju women are as diligent as men and learn early how to swim. They begin swimming at age 7-8 and were very skillful in muljil by age 18, and superior haenyeo by age 35. They are considered rare women and attract a lot of attention from around the world.

Muljil (Diving) Skill

Muljil skill is acquired by lengthy training and experience. Haenyeo near the ocean learned how to swim and dive in the shallow area by age 15. Physical conditions such as lung capacity, ability to withstand pressure, and capacity to adjust to cold water are needed. Cool nerves are also necessary when swimming near and encountering big fish. Jeju haenyeo have extended their skill and wisdom by learning the effective use of physical strength and knowledge of the ocean from the seniors at the Bulteok.

Sumbisori

Sumbisori is the whistling sound haenyeo make when they surface. It sounds like a "hoowi hoowi" sound when they inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide created when submerged for 1-2 minutes. Sumbisori provides fresh air to haenyeo and enables them to work extended periods of time with only short rest periods.

Knowledge about Nature

Knowledge of nature encompasses knowledge of the ocean and tides, wind, harvested things and experience. Haenyeo are able to recognize sea geography, changing tidal currents, and habitats of marine life. They can estimate growing process of seasonal marine life and harvest them accordingly. For example, the best time to harvest agar-agar is different year by year. They don't harvest abalone and conches during spawning season. The haenyeo's vast experience and accumulated knowledge of the marine ecosystem have been handed down from generation to generation.

Traditional Outfits

Traditional outfits (mulot) are composed of three pieces: mulsojungi (pants), muljeoksam (jacket) and mulsugun (typing hair). Mulsojungi, which is made of cotton, is designed for minimizing the water resistance to work well under the sea. It has a side opening for haenyeo to change clothes without showing their bodies. The distribution of rubber diving suits has greatly increased haenyeo's income since being used in the early part of 1970.

Diving Equipment

Diving equipment includes swimming googles, tewak mangsari, bitchang and kakuri. The non-traditional swimming goggles have been used since the 19th century, while the other pieces of equipment were modified with modern development. 

• the tewak can be clasped to the chest as a floating devise while swimming
• the mangsari can be hung on the tewak for storing harvested sea products
• the bitchang, a metal tool, is used to pick up abalones attached to rocks
• the kakuri, considered the most useful to divers, is for picking up sea products between rocks, turn rocks over, pull their bodies by attaching the tool to a rock and pulling

Jeju designated 15 items comprising the swimming suits and diving apparatus as Folk Material, No. 10.

Bulteok

Bulteok is a place where hanyeo change clothes and prepare for diving or rest between dives. The bulteok surrounded with stones arranged in a circle has a bonfire in the center for warming the haenyeo, and is a place where haenyeo can exchange information and skills on diving, fishing grounds and consolidate their ideas. There used to be 3-4 bulteok in each village, depending on the size of the village. Currently only 70 bulteok exist throughout Jeju as the bulteok have been replaced by modern dressing rooms equipped with hot and cold water facilities since 1985.

Chulga Haenyeo

Haenyeo who have left Jeju for foreign countries or moved to the mainland to areas like  Gyeongsangnam-do, Jeolla-do and Chungcheong-do are called chulga haenyeo. The songs which haenyeo used to sing, pulling oars while moving to the islands or distant sea are in general called haenyeo songs. The songs expressed the emotions and cognition of the haenyeo community which still exists today and were designated as Intangible Cultural Asset No. 1 by Jeju-do in 1971.

Faith

Haesindang (shrine) situated beside the sea is a ritual place for haenyeo to pray for their safety and abundance. Jamsugut and yowanggut are dances performed for safety and abundance. Jamsugut is performed on the 8th of March (lunar calendar) in Dongkimnyongri and is a symbolic ritual and festival for the haenyeo community. The cost of the dance is shared by the haenyeo. The dance, illustrates unity of life and work while the ritual (yowangmaji) calls the Dragon King and prays for abundance and safety. Similarly, sidream is a homeopathic magical ritual to plant seeds into the sea symbolic of harvesting an abundance of abalone, conch, agar-agar and hijiki.

Contribution to and Participation in the Common Good for the Community

Jeju haenyeo helped to pave the main road and build a school by donating part of their income. All proceeds from the fixed area of "ljangbadang" [sic] went to the head of the village who worked for the village official. There used to be "school badang" which supplied school support fees for elementary school.

When the school in Onpyeong, Sungsaneup burnt down in 1950, haenyeo contributed funds raised by selling seaweed from "school badang" and rebuilt the school from 1951 - 1958. The school's supporting association erected a commemorative monument in 1961 to pay tribute to haenyeo's charitable deeds.

Legend of the Haenyeo

There used to be a haenyeo living in Mosulpo, a haenyeo who didn't suffer from smallpox. She encountered a sea turtle on dry land along the road in Geumropo. Feeling pity for it, she took it to the sea. As it swam farther and farther into the sea, it conveyed its thankfulness.

Picking up abalones in Yongduam, she ran into an old man while jewels were shining. He said, "I'm very grateful for your kindness. You have saved my son." Handing a piece of flower to her, he said, "This flower will protect you from smallpox." She later found out the flower was from the black huckleberry plant. And her whole life she never suffered from smallpox.

"Tamnajichobon" written by Lee Won Cho 1843.

Other comments/points of interest from the museum brochure:

The Jeju Haenyeo Festival (September - October sometime) is the nation's only women-centered maritime festival, which is intended to hand down haenyeo traditional culture. All women divers on Jeju participate, and in the festival are event like:

• a haenyeo muljil (diving) competition
• tewak swimming competition
• tourist programs for experiencing muljil (diving) and bareutjabi (the traditional way of fishing to collect seafood using a torch)

Performance for Tourists (April - November) are arranged. Haenyeo songs which have been designed as Provincial Intangible Cultural Property No.1 are sung sturdily expressing Jeju women's spirit. These songs sung by haenyeo all over the island are in danger of disappearing due to the reduction in the numbers of haenyeo and changes in their work environment. These performances aim to increase awareness at home and abroad of cultural excellence of Jeju women divers and the cultural value of haenyeo tewak dance, haenyeo songs (such as leodosana or myeolchi hurineunsori songs sung when myeolchi are caught) and others. Jeju Haenyeo Museum hosts the Haenyeo Song Festival every year.