Special stage at Bojeru Pavilion, Hwaeomsa temple grounds, Oct. 9–11
Jirisan Daehwaeomsa temple, the head temple of the 19th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, will hold the 2026 22nd Hwaeom Culture Festival on its grounds and at a special stage at Bojeru Pavilion from Oct. 9 to 11.
This year's festival, themed "Light a Lantern in the Wind," weaves together the millennium-old temple's history, Buddhist culture and spirit of practice with traditional arts, yoga, meditation, music, line dancing and walking.
On the opening day, Oct. 9, a memorial ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the death of Police Superintendent Cha Il-hyeok will be held at 10 a.m. at Gakhwangjeon Hall and the memorial stele.
The ceremony honors Cha's role in protecting Hwaeomsa and other irreplaceable cultural heritage sites during the Korean War. This year's ceremony carries the theme "A millennium one person saved, a millennium we will carry on."
At 1:30 p.m., the festival's Buddhist identity takes center stage with the procession and ritual of the gwaebul — a large hanging Buddhist painting.
The original national treasure, the Hwaeomsa Yeongsanhoe Gwaebultaeng hanging painting, will be carried from the temple museum and enshrined on the gwaebul stand, with traditional Buddhist rites presided over by Venerable Donghwan, head of the Jogye Order's ritual chant tradition.
The moment the towering painting — measuring 12.08 by 769.4 centimeters — is slowly unfurled will embody the festival's message of rekindling the lamp of wisdom first lit a thousand years ago.
At 7:30 p.m., the evening program features Gurye Hyangje Julpungnyu, a traditional ensemble music form designated as National Intangible Heritage No. 83-A.
Performed on geomungo, gayageum, daegeum, haegeum, yanggeum, danso, piri and janggo, the ensemble's ancient melodies will fill the historic Bojeru Pavilion against the backdrop of Jirisan's autumn night, moonlight and breeze — a program the organizers call "the lantern of tradition."
On the second day, Oct. 10, the 6th Jirisan Daehwaeomsa Yoga Competition will open at 8:30 a.m. on the special stage in front of Bojeru Pavilion, held in commemoration of the 12th World Yoga Day (June 21). About 400 participants are expected.
Set against the temple's ancient halls and Jirisan, the event will guide participants toward physical and mental balance through breathing exercises, meditation, a singing bowl session by Yeo Nam-jun and a yoga performance by the Jibengers of the South Jeolla Province Yoga Association.
The program will bring together yoga practitioners and general participants from Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, alongside sessions connecting Indian culture and yoga — creating a symbolic meeting point between Hwaeomsa's Seon practice and the spirit of Indian yoga.
That evening, the Hwaeom Music Festival will open not with dazzling lights or an emcee's announcement, but with three strikes of a jukbi — a wooden clapper — by Venerable Beomjeong, the temple's public relations director, at center stage.
The first strike signifies "pause," the second "awakening," and the third "a new beginning" for Hwaeomsa.
A ritual drumming sequence on the beopgo and samul percussion instruments, followed by five strikes of the brahma bell, will rouse the ancient temple grounds. A sixfold offering ceremony of incense, flowers and tea will underscore the music festival's meaning as "an offering of today's art to a thousand-year sanctuary."
When the offering concludes, the first note of the saenghwang — a mouth organ — will sound, and at that moment the head monk and fellow monastics, having completed a ceremony at Gakhwangjeon Hall, will make their way to the performance venue.
On the final day, Oct. 11, the 3rd Jirisan Daehwaeomsa Gurye-gun Line Dance Club Competition will open at 8:30 a.m., with representatives from line dance clubs across nine towns and townships in Gurye-gun taking part, followed by the 6th Mother's Road Walking Event.
Before the main events, a demonstration performance by Gurye's signature "Arang Gogo Janggu" percussion troupe will open the festival with spirited rhythms and lively melodies.
After the competition, a trot music stage will feature singers Kim Min-gyo ("Last Showdown") and Lee Byeong-cheol ("What's Life About"), who perform together as the duo One Plus One, delivering familiar and upbeat songs to the crowd.
"Through the 22nd Hwaeom Culture Festival, we aim not merely to preserve the history and traditions of this millennium-old temple, but to present a new model of temple culture that connects tradition and modernity, practice and art, the temple and the local community, and Korea and the world," said Venerable Useok, head monk of Hwaeomsa. Full event schedules are available on the Hwaeomsa website.
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