Just like farmers perform rituals to pray for a bountiful crop, fishing villages have the deeply-rooted, long-standing traditional culture of praying for a bountiful catch. Fishermen on Wido Island are no exception. The Chilsan Sea in front of Daeri Village used to be crowded with fishing boats all year round. Today, the majority of locals make a living by catching anchovies and growing lavers, but catching croakers was the primary source of income for the villagers for centuries. Croakers caught here, known as “Chilsan Croakers,”were regarded as one of the best-quality croakers, which were offered to the king.
Indeed, fishing was a crucial economic activity that formed the backbone of their livelihood. But pirates kept appearing on the sea, posing a constant threat to fishing boats operated by the local fishermen, and former village leader Do-gon Lee suggested that the Ttibaennori Boating Festival should be restored to unite the villagers.
Wido Ttibaennori Boating Festival has continued on after all these years despite ups and downs that the village has gone through. Similar festivals are found in other regions across the country, including Baeyeonshingut on the West Coast and Byeolshingut on Jeju Island and other parts of the West and Southern Coast. China, Japan and Southeast Asia also have similar rituals, collectively referred to as “dragon boat festivals”. There is a common thread that goes through the minds of fishermen floating boats in the sea in different parts of the world, that is, an earnest prayer for their safety and a bountiful catch.