April 1 ~ Jongmyo Shrine

Wow, I have lots to update. Recently for my Korean World Heritage class we went on a field trip to Jongmyo Shrine, the place where the king and his ancestors spirit tablets are kept. Though the body is entombed elsewhere, their spirit tablet are kept here to summon their souls.

Here are some photos I took:

 Just some of the grounds.

Here you can see the each of the chambers, but they're not open. Only on the first Sunday of May are they opened. Hopefully I can go and witness the ceremony.

This is the path the spirit tablets take when brought to the shrine. The middle path is for the spirits and therefore should not be tread upon. One of the side paths is for the king, and the other the crown prince.








On the first Sunday of May, the spirit tablets of all the kings and their wives are brought out for summoning, prayer, and offerings, therefore the public can see them. This is where they are kept; each king has his own chamber that he shares with his wife/wives.

Here are some pictures I found online:

Here you can see the offerings and the spirit tablets.

Here are some of the festivities during the ceremony.