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Andong Hahoe Village

Andong Hahoe Village has preserved the housing architecture and the village structure of the Joseon dynasty. Moreover, the village was not artificially created; there are people who actually live there.
Three sides of Hahoe Village (Main Folk Asset No.122) is surrounded by the Nakdonggang River. Because the river swirls around the village, the village is named Hahoe(河回), and is also called the spinning river village.
Next to Hahoe village are many pine trees and a soft sand plain, and across from it are beautiful cliffs. The public knew this village by a Confusian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910), Gyeomam Yu Un-Ryong (1539~1601) and Seoae Yu Seong-Ryong (1542~1607) who had done great deeds during the Imjin War (Japanese invasion in 1592).
Because the village is surrounded with mountains and water, it had never been invaded. This is the reason why these houses still remain in their original structure.
There are 180 families resigin within the village and they are known as the group village of the Pungsan Ryu family. There are houses designated as National treasures, such as Yangjindang (No.306) and Chunghyodang (No.414). Also there are other important folk material such as the Hahoe Bukchon House (No.84), Hahoe Namchon House(No.90) and Hahoe Juilje(No.91).
Houses designated as important folk materials help to preserve the formation and the backgrounds of the village of the Ryu family, especially featuring Yun Un-Ryong and Yu Seong-Ryong.
Hahoe Village is also famous for the Byeolsin exorcism, the mask dance and the Hahoe Mask. The Hahoe Byeongsan Mask is the oldest mask in Korea and is used in the Hahoe Mask Dance. Hahoe Village became famous from the visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1999. Many events featuring the Mask Dance are held.
The Andong International Mask Dance Festival is from between the end of September and October for approximately 10 days, inside of Hahoe Village or at the Andong Gangbyeon Festival Grounds.


Hahoedong Mask Museum

The Andong area gained popularity with Queen Elizabeth’s 1999 visit on her birthday.
Nestled in the Andong Hahoe Folk Village is the Hahoedong Mask Museum which was established in September of 1995. This museum is designated important Intangible treasure No. 69 and was created by Dong-pyo Kim, hahoe mask maker. This is the only national mask museum in Korea. The Hahoedong Mask Museum in the Hahoe Village presents traditional masked dance performances.
It is estimated that the Hahoe masks date back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The masks on display here were passed down generations, typically only being used once a year in performances. After the performance was complete, all of the masks were gathered for safe keeping. It was considered taboo to be too close to the masks during daily life. This aided in their preservation. The Hahoe masks were created just like peoples’ faces with slight unsymmetrical features. The dog masks were created differently with a separate jaw making their movements different during performances. Many diverse masks are on display at the museum.
Some rare masks are on display at Seoul’s Jungang National Museum. This museum also includes mask maker, Dong-pyo Kim’s masks and masks that he produced in the Hahoe style. Approximately 19 varieties of Korean masks (300 in all), as well as approximately 500 masks from 35 countries are on exhibit.
Visitors to the museum can learn how to make masks using gourds, wood, and paper.
A display of masks used during traditional dance performances can also be viewed by visitors. An outdoor theater, measuring approximately 300 m2, hosts mask dance performances as well as the famous International Mask Dance Festival.

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