The annual Goryeong Daegaya Experience Festival celebrates the storied historical culture of the ancient kingdom of Daegaya (AD 42-562). Daegaya was a nation that was a powerful force in Gyeongsangnam-do province of Korea around the 4th century and was considered to be a nation that possessed extremely high standards of art and culture. For instance, they invented Korea’s famed instrument, Gayageum (a twelve-stringed traditional Korean harp), and played a large role in establishing early forms of Korean music culture.
Daegaya also had extensive and prospering relations with China and Japan and, based on studies of excavated relics, it appears that they had triggered some influence on the wider world. This festival helps introduce visitors to the ancient history of this kingdom through the exhibition of ancient relics. The festival features a broad range of stimulating activities, including arts and crafts programs such as pottery making, and visitors can also take part in making Mokseons (wooden ships) that the Daegaya nation used to trade with other societies. In addition, the festival area is connected with a nearby farming village that allows visitors to pick strawberries and gain hands-on experiences with Korean farming lifestyles.
Visitors can further experience the lifestyle of the period through a village that has been recreated to give off the look and feel of Daegaya Kingdom The festival highlight is its vivid parade and night performance that truly captivates visitors and immerses them in the richness of the culture, thus capping off an event that should not be missed.
