▲ 2013 Baekje Cultural Festival.

The 59th Baekje Cultural Festival, a major festival on history and culture of ancient Korea, took place in Gongju and Buyeo for nine days from September 28 to October 6, 2013.

The Baekje Cultural Festival participated in by about 12,000 people every year is the largest history and culture festival in Korea featuring various programs, such as parades reproducing the transfer of Baekje＊s capital and a memorial ceremony or coronation of great kings of Baekje. Among those, the exquisite reenactment of ＆Ungjin Fortress Parade,＊ ＆Parade of Trade Kingdom Baekje＊ and ＆King Seong＊s Sabi Transfer Parade＊ especially attract visitors.

This year＊s festival consisted of a total of 102 programs including various exhibitions and hands-on activities with regard to Baekje＊s cultural heritages in order to promote the glorious history and culture of Baekje Kingdom in and outside Korea.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the excavation of the The Baekje Incense Burner, the festival was subtitled ※The Baekje Incense Burner§ and introduced various programs in relation to the legendary cultural property, which presents the essence of Baekje culture.

The programs attracted over 1.6 million visitors in total. Overall, the festival was successful in that local citizens actively participated in and enjoyed the festival and people could learn the history and culture of Baekje through various activities.

Events, such as ＆Grand Fireworks＊ sponsored by Hanhwa Group, ＆Injeolmi (Korean traditional rice cake) Festival＊ hosted by local branches of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, ＆Equestrian Martial Arts of Baekje＊ prepared by the Korean House Affairs Association, promotional activities by Korean liquor producer Hitejinro, special exhibitions in Gongju National Museum and Buyeo National Museum, ＆Storytelling Contest＊ by Gongju Office of Education and ＆We are Baekje citizens! Family Camp＊ by Buyeo Office of Education, also drew much attention, suggesting effective sponsorship models for the festival.

On the opening day when ＆Grand Fireworks,＊ the largest of its kind in the central region of Korea, took place, about 160,000 people visited Gongju and 60,000 attended the opening ceremony, making the festival a great success. ＆Ungjin Fortress Parade,＊ the highlight of Baekje Culture Festival, was wonderfully directed into two sessions to enhance its style and quality and participated in by 5,000 local citizens online and offline. At night, 300 flowing lanterns and 100 sailing boats created a magnificent spectacle, thrilling visitors throughout the festival period.

To support Baekje Historical Sites＊ designation as UNESCO World Heritage, a campaign of writing wish notes took place in three festival venues in Gongju and Buyeo and drew much support from visitors.

The festival ended with a grand finale of the traditional Korean percussion ensemble in the closing ceremony. Under the theme of ＆The Baekje Incense Burner and Eternal Great Baekje,＊ 280-member Korean traditional percussion band staged a passionate performance, promising to meet again next year.

 

▲2013 Baekje Cultural Festival 2.

Baekje Cultural Festival＊s diamond jubilee in 2014

Baekje flourished for 700 years (BC 18~660) as one of the ancient cultural powerhouses in East Asia based on its creative and unique culture. It commanded the sea and played the role of facilitating cultural exchanges among countries in the region like China and Japan.

The magnificent culture and history of Baekje still live in the hearts of the Korean people through the Baekje Cultural Festival, which is to celebrate its 60th anniversary next year. The festival has evolved into an outstanding history and culture festival that attract people not just in Korea but also around the world.

The festival originates in ＆Grand Festival of Baekje,＊ a private festival organized under the leadership of some local notables. At that time, the festival featured events such as a memorial service for the three loyalists (Seongchung, Heungsu, Gyebaek) and a Buddhist ceremony to pay tribute to Baekje women who threw themselves into the waters of Baekma River for the nation. It obtained the current shape as it was renamed to ＆Baekje Cultural Festival＊ in 1965 and the local government of Gongju joined the festival in 1966. In 1977, the festival was recognized by the Korean government as one of the top three cultural festivals.

Since 2007, it has been co-hosted by three local governments ？ Chungnam Province, Buyeo County and Gongju City. The Great Baekje World Festival in 2010 laid the foundation for the annual Baekje Cultural Festival to become a global festival on history and culture.

The Baekje Cultural Festival creates enormous values, tangible and intangible, in numerous areas including culture, politics and education. Every year, about 1.5 million people visit the region for the festival, bringing about economic effects worth 100 million dollars.

Based on the historical achievements and cultural prestige made by local ancestors, the festival contributes to enhancing local citizens＊ pride and elevating the region＊s brand value. Businesses＊ participations in the festival, for example, the Hanhwa-sponsored grand fireworks in the opening ceremony, agricultural cooperatives-hosted ＆Injeolmi Festival＊ and Hitejinro＊s promotional activities, are also notable.

Preceding the festival＊s 60th anniversary in 2014, the festival organizers are making all-out efforts to elevate the festival into a global event and attract people around the world. 

The 60th Baekje Cultural Festival next year will take place in and around Buyeo and Gongju between September and October under the working title of ＆The world to Baekje, Baekje to the world.§ More than 100 programs and events will be prepared to embody the great spirit of Baekje culture, which dominated the region of East Asia in ancient times.

Especially, an exhibition on the cultures of three kingdoms of Korea (Baekje, Goguryeo, Silla) and an exhibition on the cultures of the three nations in East Asia (Korea, China and Japan) will provide a good opportunity for people to compare cultural differences of the ancient kingdoms and recognize the uniqueness and excellence of Baekje culture and the process of its spread to other nations. Many other interesting exhibitions, performances, contests and activities will also be offered to help people experience the beauty of Baekje.

People in and outside Korea who are interested in experiencing the ancient kingdom of Baekje are absolutely welcome to visit the 60th Baekje Cultural Festival.