Name: Misan house god welcoming ceremony Appointment Category: Intangible cultural property No. 11 Date of Appointment: Sep. 22, 1989

Soongeui Shrine Site
Of all house gods, our ancestors respected god of house building, who was believed to teach how to build a house. Therefore, they welcomed the god in the main room or roof of a house.

House god welcoming ceremony is an amusement that has totemic characteristic of welcoming ‘house god’, who protects a newly built house or a house after moving in. It is for prosperity and peace of the house.

Misan house god welcoming ceremony is composed of three sections.

The first section is for workers to gather in a site for a new house, play traditional folk music and dance.

The second section is to perform offering on the site, and for workers to clean up the site and firming the boundary. When the right spot is chosen, the owner of the house calls workers to firming the spot using shovels and the song of labor was sung. After working on the spot, the boundary is firmed. When firming, tie 7 strands of rope to the mortar, 3 workers on 1 rope each firm the boundary, and the song of labor is also sung this time.

The third section is to make various materials for building a house. The song of labor is sung for workers not to be tired from hard work, and to make the work more effective.

When the house is complete, the owner of the house performs house god welcoming ceremony, in which a shaman places various foods, and puts rice on a square mal measure, puts a straw cutter on the measure. As the shaman gets excited and speaks well-wishing remarks, he(she) goes up and stands on the measure. After the ceremony, all villagers gather and have a party to keep bad spirits away.