P’alkwanhoe

P’alkwanhoe, (Korean: “Assembly of P’alkwan”), most important of Korea’s ancient national festivals, a ritualistic celebration that was essentially Buddhist in form but tinged with elements of Taoism and indigenous folk beliefs. Some historians think P’alkwanhoe was originally a state-sponsored cultural festival that developed from the harvest festivals of earlier days. The festival, which seems to have been firmly established in ad 551 at a time when Buddhism was recognized as the state religion, was conducted...