A grand Joseon royal banquet once held at Changdeokgung Palace, known as the "Jinjangnye Royal Banquet of 1828 at Yeongyeongdang," will be staged on a larger scale this year, marking the 20th anniversary of its restoration.
The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service said on Oct. 27 that it will present the "Jinjangnye Royal Banquet of 1828 at Yeongyeongdang, Reign of King Sunjo" at 11 a.m. on Nov. 3 and 4 at Yeongyeongdang in the rear garden of Changdeokgung Palace, together with the Research Institute of World Ethnic Dance affiliated with the School of Dance at the Korea National University of Arts.
Jinjangnye refers to a ceremony in which court officials offered wine and food to the king and paid their respects on special royal occasions. The performance recreates a royal banquet held at Yeongyeongdang in the sixth lunar month of 1828, when Crown Prince Hyomyeong, a son of King Sunjo, who reigned from 1800 to 1834, celebrated the 40th birthday of his mother, Queen Sunwon.
The Research Institute of World Ethnic Dance at the Korea National University of Arts first staged the performance in 2006, after researching and restoring it based on the "Sunjo Muja Jinjang Uigwe," the royal protocol record of the 1828 event.
This year, 10 of the 17 court dance pieces recorded in the "Sunjo Muja Jinjang Uigwe" will be performed, including "Bakjeopmu" and "Chungwangho." The organizers expect that visitors will gain a vivid understanding of court ritual in its original form and the artistic value of traditional dance, while experiencing the significance of Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Uigwe of the Joseon Dynasty, inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The performance is open to all visitors to the palace's rear garden, though a separate admission fee for the garden applies.