The 30th Seonjamje will be held Sept. 12 at the historic Seonjam altar complex
Procession begins at 10 a.m.; rites commence at 10:30 a.m. at the altar
Seongbuk-gu in Seoul will host the 30th Seonjamje at the Seonjam altar complex in Seongbuk-dong on Sept. 12.
The Seonjamje is a state ritual in which offerings are made to Seoreungsssi, the deity of sericulture, to pray for a bountiful and peaceful year of silk farming. The rite dates to the Goryeo period and was observed as a major state ceremony throughout the Joseon Dynasty.
The ritual was suspended during the Japanese colonial period and revived in 1993. It was paused again between 2017 and 2020 for excavation and restoration work at the altar complex, then resumed — reaching its 30th edition this year.
The event opens at 10 a.m. with a procession of ritual officiants departing from the road in front of a GS25 convenience store near Hansung University Station. The rites begin at the altar at 10:30 a.m. and are open to all residents.
The ceremony follows a set sequence: it opens with "jeonpyerye," in which offerings and a ritual prayer are presented, followed by "choheonrye," in which the chief officiant presents the first cup. The second and third cups are offered in "aheonrye" and "jongheonrye," respectively. The rite concludes with "cheolbyeondu," the removal of ritual vessels, and "mangye," the burning of the prayer text.
Seongbuk-gu opened the Seongbuk Seonjam Museum in 2018 — the district's first public museum — to promote the history and culture of the altar and the rite. Beyond staging the annual reenactment, the district continues to collect, preserve, research, exhibit and teach materials related to the Seonjamje, and is pursuing its registration as an intangible cultural heritage.
District Mayor Lee Seung-ro said the Seonjamje is "a time-honored Joseon state ritual woven together with music, song and dance, and a precious piece of cultural heritage that defines Seongbuk." He added that the district would work with residents to preserve and pass down the tradition "so that it takes root as a living tradition alongside the community," and would consistently press ahead with efforts to secure its intangible heritage designation.
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