Jongmyo Daejae (Royal Shrine Ritual) is one of great world intangible cultural assets appointed by UNESCO. It is a Korean Intangible Cultural Asset No. 56 (Jongmyo Ritual) and No.1 (Ritual Music). This event is organized by the Jongmyo Ritual Conservation Committee (president: 이환의) and the Jongmyo Ritual Music Conservation Committee (president: 성경린), and sponsored by the Bureau of Cultural Assets, Seoul City, KBS and National Folk Institution. It is performed between 10 am and 4 pm, on May 2 (Sunday); Yeongnyeongjeon between 10 am and 12 noon, and Jeongjeon between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm.
The magnificent and beautiful Royal Procession is represented with more than 1000 members, starting from Gyeongbok Palace, passing by Sejongro Street and Jongro 1 and 2 Street, and arriving at the Royal Shrine at 12:50. The total members for this event is around 2000, who include staffs for Yeongneongjeon, Jeongjeon, Jegwan, event management and the Royal Procession staffs.

The term Jongmyo Daeje (Royal Shrine Ritual) refers to the worship performed in honor of the ancestors of the Choson Dynasty royal family. Originally this ceremony was performed 5 times in the first month of each season (spring, summer, autumn and winter) and in December, but it was stopped by the invasion of Japan. It began to be held again on the first Sunday in May since 1965 by our organization. From this year, however, it is held on the first Sunday in every May, along with the “Hi-Seoul Festival” hosted by Seoul City.

Jongmyo (Royal Shrine) is the place where the worship is offered for ancestors’ tablets. The place includes Jeongjeon for kings and queens who conducted memorable merits in Chosun dynasty, Yeongneongjeon for respected kings and queens, and Gongsindang for royal officers who greatly helped kings since the foundation of the dynasty.
Originally, Jongmyo referred to only Jeongjeon, but currently it includes both Jeongjeon and Yeongneongjeon. In Jeongjeon of 19 rooms are enshrined 49 tablets of kings including Taejo, Taejong and Sejong; Yeongneongjeon of 16 rooms enshrines 34 respected kings’ tablets including Mokjo, Ikjo, Dojo and Hwanjo; and Gongsindang enshrines 83 loyal subjects’ tablets. (There is Chilsadang below the left hand side of Jeongjeon.)

The royal procession refers to the royal parade where kings and queens of Chosun dynasty march to the Royal Shrine. On that day, the king goes up to the royal carriage and goes to yeon (the king’s carriage) outside of the palace, and other attendants carrying parasols and fans. When the king gets on the yeon, all the attendants ride horses to set forth. Hyunmudae, escort troops, follow.

The Jeongjeon ritual ceremony is carried out according to Confucian ritual ethics. The general order is welcoming the spirits, entertaining them and ushering them out. The ritual includes Jongmyo Ritual Music, the important intangible cultural asset No. 1, which performs traditional music and songs such as Pyeongyeong and Bokgo for each process, and also Palilmu, a dance performed by 64 dancers.
Jeongjeon ritual is led by the ritual director Gi-Jeon Lee with 200 officials from the royal clansmen of Jeonju Lee Family and descendants of queens in Chosun dynasty. Choheongwan is performed by the last royal descendant of Chosun dynasty Gu Lee.

Jongmyo Ritual Music is the intangible cultural asset No. 1, made by the King Sejong and adapted by the king Sejo. This refers to all music instruments, songs and dances performed for worship in Jongmyo. Each process of the royal ritual ceremony has various music performances, including the song called Jongmyoakjang, and dances called Botaepyeongjimu and Jeongdaeeopjimu.
This event will be a good opportunity to show our traditional royal ritual cultures to domestic and overseas tourists.

This cultural value of Jongmyo, the cultural relic No. 125 having been acknowledged along with Sokguram of Pulguksa and the wood engraving blocks of Buddhist texts at Haeyinsa, has been registered as a treasure of World Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in 1995. Following this, in 2001, Jongmyo Daejeon and Jongmyo Jeryeak were also registered as treasures of World Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.