Traditional ceremony held Thursday before a 500-year-old arborvitae tree — a village ritual revived in 2002 after being suspended during the Korean War
Guro-gu held the 2026 Garibong-dong Arborvitae Rite at the arborvitae pavilion square in Garibong-dong on Thursday, praying for the safety and harmony of local residents.
Organized by the Arborvitae Rite Promotion Committee, the event drew about 20 people, including committee members and neighborhood residents, who gathered to wish the village peace and prosperity.
The Garibong-dong arborvitae is an ancient tree more than 500 years old, standing 15 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 2.5 meters. The Seoul Metropolitan Government designated it a protected tree in 2004, and it has long been regarded as the guardian tree of the village.
Local legend holds that a great serpent protecting the village lives within the tree, and that harm will befall anyone who damages it. For generations, residents have offered rites before the arborvitae at the first full moon of the lunar new year and during the autumn harvest to pray for the village's well-being.
The arborvitae rite was suspended during the Korean War but was revived through residents' efforts in 2002 and has continued to the present day.
Thursday's ceremony followed the traditional sequence of a Confucian rite: it opened with gangsin and chamsin, the invocation and welcoming of the deity, followed by choheon, the first offering of wine; dokchuk, the reading of the ritual prayer; and aheon and jongheon, the second and third offerings. The ceremony concluded with heonjak, in which attendees offered wine; songsin, the farewell to the deity; eumbok, the sharing of ritual food; and soji, the burning of the prayer text.
At the rite, Arborvitae Rite Promotion Committee Chairman Song Jae-hyeon served as officiant for the first offering, while Guro-gu District Mayor Jang In-hong presided over the second, both praying for the village's safety and residents' unity.
"The arborvitae rite is a precious village tradition that residents have upheld together over many years," District Mayor Jang said. "We will continue to work to preserve and pass on the district's unique history and culture."
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