Arirang Festival

Arirang Mass Games
아리랑 축제

Arirang Festival mass games display in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Status Irregularly held, usually held every year
Genre Mass gymnastics, festival
Frequency Annually
Venue Rungrado May Day Stadium
Location(s) Pyongyang, North Korea
Country North Korea
Previous event 2015

The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang[1] (Chosŏn'gŭl: 아리랑 축제, Hancha: 아리랑 祝祭), also known as the Arirang Mass Games,[2] or the Arirang Festival[3] is a mass gymnastics and artistic festival held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The games usually begin in early August and end around 10 September.

A scene from the 2012 Arirang Festival

According to the Russian News Agency "TASS", "Arirang is a gymnastics and artistic festival, known as mass games. The extravaganza unfolds an epic story of how the Arirang nation of Korea, a country of morning calm, in the Orient put an end to the history of distress and rose as a dignified nation with the song 'Arirang'. The Arirang performance has been included in the Guinness Book of Records."[4]

History

The name refers to "Arirang", a Korean folk story about a young couple who are torn apart by an evil landlord, here intended to represent the division of Korea.

The festival has been held from August until October since 2002-2005, and 2007-2013. The mass games were not held in 2006, as well as in 2014 and 2016.[5] Contrary to popular belief, the mass festival was held in 2015.[6] It is unknown if they will be continued at a later time.

Iconography

The Mass Games possess an important ideological character praising the Workers' Party of Korea, its armed forces, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. These messages may not be clear to foreign spectators, who are not aware of North Korean iconography: a rising sun symbolizes Kim Il-sung. When a gun is shown, it signifies the gun which Kim Il-sung gave to his son Kim Jong-il. The colour red, particularly in flowers, stands for the working class, and the colour purple and red flowers represent Kim Il-sung (as the flower Kimilsungia is a purple orchid and the flower Kimjongilia is a red begonia). A snowy mountain with a lake represents Mount Paektu, where Kim Jong-il is said to have been born in a log cabin.

Participants

From as young as 5 years old, citizens are selected based on skill level to serve for the Arirang Festival for many years. In most cases this will be the way of life for them until retirement.[7] They are students of 8 schools of Pyongyang, each of them has its own colour. These are

Events

The opening event of the two-month festival are the mass games, which are famed for the huge mosaic pictures created by more than 30,000[8] well-trained and disciplined school children, each holding up coloured cards, in an event known in the West as a card stunt, accompanied by complex and highly choreographed group routines performed by tens of thousands of gymnasts and dancers.

World record

In August 2007, the Arirang Mass Games were recognised by Guinness World Records as the biggest event of its kind. In recent years, foreign tourists have been allowed to watch one of the many performances.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Merkel, Udo. "'The grand mass gymnastics and artistic performance Arirang' (2002–2012): North Korea's socialist–realist response to global sports spectacles." The International Journal of the History of Sport 30.11 (2013): 1247-1258.
  2. ↑ CENTER, NCC. "The Arirang Mass Games of North Korea 朝鮮民主主義人民共和国のアリラン祭 Rüdiger Frank."
  3. ↑ Jung, Hyang Jin. "Jucheism as an Apotheosis of the Family: The Case of the Arirang Festival." Journal of Korean Religions 4.2 (2013): 93-122.
  4. ↑ "DPRK prepares for celebration of victory in the 1950-1953 war under rain". Russian News Agency "TASS". Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Leo Byrne (6 February 2014). "No Arirang Mass Games this year". NK News. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Young Pioneer Tours (31 July 2015). "Arirang Mass Games, North Korea - Youtube". Youtube. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "human billboard paintings at north korea mass games". Design Boom. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Watts, Jonathan (1 October 2005). "Welcome to the strangest show on earth". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved December 2010. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  9. ↑ "North Korea halts showcase mass games due to flood". reuters. 27 August 2007. Retrieved December 2010. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)

Further reading

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Coordinates: 39°2′58.47″N 125°46′30.79″E / 39.0495750°N 125.7752194°E / 39.0495750; 125.7752194

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