Shaman ritual (긋)

Traditional Korean shamans (무당)mudang, the Korean term for a shaman. are usually women dressed in long, colorful gowns (한복)hanbok, Korean traditional clothing. with a matching hat as shown in the pictures above. With them, they carry several objects used in their rituals (긋)gut, the Korean term for shaman rituals., such as fans, knives, and the shaman’s bells we are talking about in this story.

Shamans can be visited for various reasons, such as fortune-telling, getting rid of an evil spirit, or contacting deceased family members. The collective goal in all of these situations is to resolve a negative situation and bring peace.

While performing a ritual, the shaman lets herself be possessed by a spirit, which may be the spirit of a god they personally worship or the spirit of a deceased loved one of their clients. A characteristic unique to Korean shamanism is the worshiping part of these spirits. The process of calling upon spirits is accompanied by some sort of music, as can be heard in the video attached. The music assists the shaman in connecting with the spirit, as we will explain next.