Buddhist festival reaches old and young through culture

An annual festival run by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will officially host performances by Jogye Buddhist followers for the first time in the festival’s history.

Now in its fifth year, the Buddhist Culture Festival, running Oct. 17-24, includes a series of performances -- singing and dancing -- delivered by nine teams of 60 Jogye followers on Oct. 19 at the Historic Cultural Memorial Center of Korea Buddhism at the Jogyesa complex in Seoul, the headquarters of the nation’s largest Buddhist sect.

“We want to send out the message that ‘Buddhism is something joyful and fun,’” said the Ven. Hyegong, the Jogye chief for cultural affairs, referring to the slogan first introduced at the International Buddhism Expo in Seoul in April. The event drew the highest number of participants in its 10-year history.

The popularity of the event was owed in part to a DJ in a monk’s robe shouting Buddhist verses to the beat of electronic dance music, a seismic shift in Jogye’s strategy to appeal to youngsters.

“While that’s where we have our eyes set, we want to get closer to both the young and the old and we don’t want anyone to get sidelined," Hyegong noted, explaining that the teams performing on Oct. 19 are of all ages from different temples around the country.

Gugak performances by Jogye followers will take place Oct. 20 also at the Historic Cultural Memorial Center of Korea Buddhism.

The eight-day festival will kick off on Oct. 17 with a screening the next day of “Mungyeong: More than Roads,” a 2024 film about a disillusioned office worker rediscovering the meaning of life during an encounter with a Buddhist nun. Theater plays as well as awards ceremonies recognizing exceptional Buddhist works in literature and art are scheduled during the festival period.

The festival will be open to the public for free.