Lesson 8 Korean Culture: The Mirror

of Our Hearts The Long History of Juldarigi

Tug for Harmony Jinho: Nobody knows exactly when the juldarigi
For their final project, students in Ms. Nam's English
tradition started in Korea, but our ancestors must
class are giving group presentations about Korean
have performed it for hundreds of years. The first
culture.
historical record appeared in

Donggungnyeojiseungnam (1481). The book says that

Minji: Before we start, guess what this is!
it was widely popular in the middle and southern
QUIZ!
parts of Korea where rice farming was common.
This is a team sport.

It used to be an Olympic event.

Juldarigi was regarded not just as a sport but also as
Stepping forward means your defeat.
a ritual. In the juldarigi ritual, a series of actions
Players use a long rope.
were usually performed in the same way: making the

ropes, holding ceremonies, tugging the ropes, and

Yes, the answer is juldarigi or tug of war. This is the
staging special events after the game. Juldarigi might
topic of our presentation. You all must have played
have been a perfect way to help people cooperate
this game at least once because it is juldarigi that
and promote the harmony and unity of the
often highlights a school sports day. I still remember
community. In Korea, many towns have cherished this
the tension I felt just before starting to pull. The
tradition, and some towns, such as Gijisi, Yeongsan,
moments of joy and disappointment were also
Samcheok, Gamnae, and Uiryeong, have developed it
unforgettable. However, this isn't just a school sport.
into exciting festivals.
In 2015, juldarigi was added to UNESCO's Intangible

Cultural Heritage list under the heading of Tugging

Rituals and Games. As we researched this cultural

heritage, we learned a lot of new and interesting

facts.
A Tugging Rope That Is Not Just a Rope Gijisi Juldarigi Festival: A Celebration of Tradition

Sumi: Look at this slide. What do the ropes look Dongho: Last April, I took part in the Gijisi Juldarigi

like? Juldarigi ropes vary in shape and design from Festival, held in Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do. At first,

region to region. The rope used in Yeongsan and I couldn't believe my eyes. The size of the rope was

Gijisi juldarigi, with smaller ones attached to it, looks unbelievable. It was about 200 meters long and one

like a giant centipede. The rope used in Gamnae meter thick, weighing over 40 tons. Thousands of

juldarigi is made to look like a crab in order to people gathered and pulled the "centipede" rope to

express the participants' wish to catch more crabs. win.

After the game is over, people in some areas cut

the rope into smaller pieces and bring them home. Even though both teams tried their best, it was my

They throw the pieces onto the roof or hang them team that won. Actually, which team wins is not that

on the gate of their home. Some people believe that important. By tradition, participants are divided into

these ropes can bring a good harvest, health, and two teams by township: one team from susang, the

peace to their families. Interestingly, Gijisi juldarigi northern area, and the other from suha, the southern

ropes are believed to help couples have a child, cure area. They say that the country will be peaceful if

backaches, and bring good luck to the families that the former team wins, and that it will have a good

own them. harvest if the latter wins. I was happy because I

learned that I helped bring a good harvest! It was

wonderful to experience traditional Korean culture in

the spirit of cooperation. Most of all, it was fun.

Minji: Now, what does juldarigi mean to you? While

preparing our presentation, we learned that juldarigi

isn't unique to Korea or other Asian countries.

However, Korean juldarigi rituals reflect our history

and culture and have contributed to the harmony

and unity of communities. What is important is for

us to inherit and further develop our traditional

juldarigi for future generations.

Further Reading

Was Tug of War an Olympic Event?

You may think that tug of war is just a playground

event for children or an exercise for adults that helps

build a team spirit. In fact, it was a team sport in

the Olympics from 1900 to 1920. Interestingly, a

country could send more than one team to the

Olympics, so it could earn multiple medals in the

event. For example, the United States won all three

medals in 1904 when the Olympic Games were held

in St. Louis. Great Britain won all the medals in the

1908 London Olympics.

Tug of war is not an Olympic event anymore.

However, there is an international organization that is

dedicated to the promotion of tug of war. It holds

world championships every year and tries hard to get

tug of war included again in the Olympics. The

organization hopes that tug of war will regain its old

glory. Will we soon be able to cheer for our national

tug of war team to win a gold medal in the

Olympics?