연등회의 전통과 현대축제화의 방안

Abstract

This paper, in examining the origin and the historical developments of the Yeondeunghoe(Korean Buddhist ceremony of lantern lighting, also known as lotus lantern festival), identified the important elements, such as street parade, festival site installations, lantern design, and celebration performance program, needed for developing the lotus lantern festival into a representative festival of Korea, and sought measures to moderniz them to make the festival more diversified. In the lotus lantern festival of India, lanterns were lit all night, flowers and scents were offered, the images of Buddha and Bodhisattvas were placed in splendidly decorated carriages and paraded as floats, and various performances by entertainers were held. This type of lotus lantern festivity had a great impact subsequently on the lotus lantern festivals of China, Korea, and Japan. The Yeondeunghoe of the Goryeo period was held on sangweon(the15thof the first month of the lunar calendar) or February 15 as a national ceremony attended by the king. There was also the Yeondeunghoe held as a festival of Buddha’s birthday on the Eighth Day of the Fourth Moon(sa-weol-cho-pa-il) in the royal court and throughout the country. As the backdrop at the site of Goryeo’s Yeondeunghoe were installed chaebung(綵棚 colorful satin decorations), chaeru (綵樓 a tower decorated with colorful satin), deungsan (燈山 mountain of lanterns), hwasan (火山 mountain of lanterns), and hwasu (火樹 tree of lanterns), and in front of them were performances by the royal court and civilian entertainers. In addition, when the king visited Bong-eunsa or Heungwangsa during the Yeondeunghoe, on either side of his roadway, lanterns of various shapes were installed, and his parade was very large in size and accompanied by diverse music and performances. In the first half of the Joseon period, the lotus lantern customs of sangweon and Eighth Day of the Fourth Moon were very actively carried out. During the Eighth Day of the Fourth Moon Yeondeunghoe in the first half of Joseon period, every house put up a lantern, and often the lanterns were hung on a five colored rope tied to a pole; with so manylanterns hung in the streets, it was bright as a day. Moreover, chaebung was installed, various games were played, and with the curfew lifted, there were many people out and about in the streets at night, and the streets were overflowing with the sound of saenghwang(reedinstrument) and singing. During the Eighth Day of the Fourth Moon Yeondeunghoe in the second half of Joseon period, every house put up a pole decorated at the top with a pheasant tail and a colored silk banner attached to it, and put up lanterns corresponding to the number of children of the household. With about 40 different types, the lantern shapes were very diverse. In the evenings, the curfew was lifted and there were many people out and about in the streets, and there were also musical performances at this time. The chaebung were tied along the bridge railings, and people not only of Seoul but from the provinces went up Namsan(South Mountain of Seoul) to watch the lanterns. There was also fireworks display such as nakwha-nori. As such, in the modern lotus lantern festival, by making and putting up lantern poles and, as examined previously, making and displaying diverse lanterns, the artistry of the festival should be made more prominent, while reviving fireworks display such as nakhwa-nori is needed as well. Moreover, after creating the atmosphere of the festival site by installing chaebung, hwasu, deungsan, and sandae (stage built in the shape of a mountain), inducing people’s participation through various performances should be considered. In addition, by enhancing the traditional form of street parade of image floats, the festival should move in the direction of giving more prominence to the meaning of Buddha’s birthday and providing abundance of visual attractions.