Chungcheongnam-do

Hosang is a Korean word meaning the funeral ceremony of a blessed people who lived long enjoying his richness with many children. After his or her death, all the resident in Youngjeong-ri gather to judge whether the death is Hosang or not and they go through formal process. Hosang-Nori is a traditional folklore compiling concisely all the process of bearing a funeral bier and carrying that bier out of house. There has been the residents’ meeting to discuss the funeral rites and hold that funeral including the Sangyeo-sori, a kind of Korean dirge. The traditional dirge of pallbearers has its peculiar tune and rhythm and is transmitted from generation to generation with some amusement factors.

Hosang-Nori participated in the national folklore contest as a representative of Chungnam in 1992 and was awarded with the Prime Minister Prize. Now it is appointed and preserved as the ‘Intangible Cultural Asset No. 22’ by Chungnam Province. This community play divides pallbearers into 4 teams(Front, Rear, Right, Left) and each team exchanges it‘s Sangyeo-Sori with other teams. Thus Hosang-Nori has even numbers of Sangyeo-Sori. As for it’s own peculiarity, the Sangyeo-Sori of Yongjeong-ri has more solemnity and sorrowfulness and strongly stimulates sentiments of listeners compared to those of other areas. Therefore a high degree of singing ability is needed to sing this Sangyeo-Sori.