• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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• no.25
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• pp.135-181
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• 2012

The celebration day of national foundation(開國紀元節) is to celebrate the foundation of Joseon by Taejo Lee Seong Gye. It is also shortly called as the celebration day. The events celebrating this were performed either on a large or small scale by the court or the people from 1895 right before 1910, the Korea-Japan Annexation. As you can see from the period of its performance, the celebration day of national foundation was not one of the Joseon's traditional court events, but it was one of the national holidays(慶節) institutionalized newly after the port opening (1876). In Korea, too, they strived to concentrate on modernization as exchanging with all different countries in the world after the port opening. Also, they considered how to concretize all different celebration events for national holidays characterized by the modern days of celebration. As a result, additionally or partly from the traditional court events, the events to celebrate national holidays appeared one after another from 1895. And this article examined the celebration day of national foundation, one of the national holidays referred to as modern-style days of celebration. The event to celebrate this can be seen from Geongbok-gung(景福宮) on the day of July 16th, 1895. And the Independence Association(獨立協會) also held the event for the celebration day of national foundation. The event performed for the celebration day of national foundation shows very distinct aspects on the ground to maintain the congratulatory ways partly. In particular, the ritual for the celebration day of national foundation held by the Independence Association induced modernized ways of celebration such as the congratulatory address and speech, and it also included new elements like the harmony of various music including court music(宮中音樂) or Chang-ga(唱 歌).