A Beautiful Encounter with Cultural Heritage

Seasonal Dano Celebration at Changdeokgung Palace

“The King Bestows Dano Fans to His Ministers.”

○ Date: June 5 (Sun), 15:00

○ Venue: Seonjeongjeon Hall, Changdeokgung Palace

○ Events: "The King Bestows Dano Fans to His Ministers", “Distribution of Dano Fans As Gifts”, “Jehotang (Milk-Arrowroot Decoction) Sampling and Tasting”

Introduction of the Event

This event is a historic reenactment of the traditional Dano celebration in which the rulers of Joseon (1392-1910) bestowed Dano Fans to their ministers, wishing them to spend cool, healthy summer. The Dano Fans are largely divided into two types, jeopseon (folding fan) and danseon (round fan), according to their shape. The fans used in this event are two types of folding fans, seungduseon which is characterized by the round handle in the shape a Buddhist monk and yunseon featuring the shape of a wheel. Participants in the event are offered to taste a special Dano beverage called jehotang, or the milk-Arrowroot decoction, which is known to be good to keep health in the hot summer season. This special summer beverage is made by mixing honey with "black plum", Cardamom seeds, Alpinia katsumadai seed, and Indian sandalwood powders. The mixture is then boiled, placed in a cool place to be coagulated and then mixed with cold water.

The Origin of Dano Fans

The Joseon rulers maintained a tradition of bestowing the fans made and offered to the royal court by fan makers in the southern region, Yeongnam and Honam, to their ministers and courtiers as a special Dano gift. The Joseon's aristocrats also maintain the same tradition, distributing Dano fans to their family members and relatives, wishing them to stay healthy in the forthcoming summer days.

According to Joseon wangjo sillok (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty), a convoy from Ming China visited Joseon on April 28, 1426 (8th year of King Sejong’s reign), asked questions about the Dano customs and requested the Joseon court to help him take the special fans to China. King Sejong ordered the Ministry of Public Works to make fans and bestowed to the Chinese convoy 10 round fans and 88 folding fans on May 4. Joseon wangjo sillok also has a record that on may 5, 1604 (37th year of King Seonjo’s reign), "the king, as it was a Dano festival, bestowed special snacks and fans to the officials in Seungjeongwon (Royal Secretariat), Hongmungwan (Office of Special Advisers), Sillokcheong (Office of the Annals) and Gyojeongcheong (Board of Review and Rectification).

Historical Episodes of Dano Fans

As for the special Dano Fans and the tradition of bestowing the fans by Joseon kings to their ministers, Dongguk sesigi (A Record of Seasonal Customs in Korea) has the following to say: "The Ministry of Public Works offers Dano Fans to the king who then bestows them to the high-ranking officials as well as the court attendants and servants in each royal households. The largest of these fans features 40 to 50 ribs and the shape of white arrows (called baekcheop, literally 'white fan'). Some of the fans are coated with black lacquered and hence called chilcheop (lacquered fan). The fans are then usually painted with a landscape of "The Twelve Thousand Peaks of the Diamond Mountain". ... One of the important duties of the magistrates and military commanders in the provinces of Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do was to prepare jeolseon (festival fans) and send them to the royal court so that the kings distribute them to their ministers and courtiers." Yeoryang sesigi (Seasonal Festive Customs in the Capital), another old book about the Korean seasonal festivities, also has a similar record: "The Minister of Public Works and the Provincial Administrations of Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do send fans to the court as the Dano Day approaches. The court then distributes the fans to high-ranking officials, including the Three Premiers, who in turn distributes the fans to their relatives, friends, grave keepers and tenant farmers."