Korean Peninsula Ancient Folk Festival. Originally a Buddhist ceremony, it mainly teaches the Eight Commandments, with some elements of indigenous religions and Taoism. It is also called Eight Pass Zhai Meeting and Eight Zhai Meeting. It was founded in the twelfth year of King Zhenxing of Silla (551). In the Korean era, it expanded into a national celebration, held in Wangjing every midwinter (November 15). People lit lanterns and burned incense to worship the gods of heaven, dragon and mountains and rivers, and prayed for Wang Zuo's peace and prosperity and grain harvest; The Buddhism color gradually faded, and the Lantern Festival with Shangyuan (January 15) was celebrated as two major folk festivals on the Korean Peninsula.
According to the records in the History of Korea, the festival is divided into two days: the "small meeting" and the "general meeting" of the next day. On the day of the small meeting, the palace was renovated. The king received congratulations from officials and people in the Yifeng Tower, and went to the Fawang Temple to worship as usual (retaining the Buddhist color). On the day of the conference, the king received foreign envoys' greetings in the palace to highlight the importance of the festival.
During the five hundred years of the Koryo Dynasty, the Eight Pass Meeting was once held in the middle (981-1009 from Chengzong to Xianzong's accession). The end of the dynasty declined, but its importance still remained. This can be seen from the fact that the Eight Pass Meeting continued to be held when the Mongols invaded and the dynasty retreated to Jianghua Island. In the fourth year of King Gongrang of Korea (1392), Li Chenggui established the Korea of the Li family, implemented the policy of Confucianism (anti Buddhism), and the Eight Pass Meeting was completely abolished.
[Reference] History of Korea, Volume 69; "Korean History Festival" by Sanpin Zhangying, "Korean Buddhism folk beliefs"; The Second Palace starts his post as "Korea's Eight Pass Meeting".
FROM: [Encyclopedia of Chinese Buddhism]
