Hahoe Village, Andong · The Name Behind the Mask

Hahoe Village in Andong is ringed by water on three sides, and the villagers still perform the Hahoe byeolsin masked dance. There are around a dozen masks; the best known are the grinning yangban noble and the weeping bride.

The masks are said to have come from an old villager’s dream. If a mask is carved too closely to look like a particular person, that person will be called away in a dream.

So no mask in the village is finished in every detail. And whoever puts one on must not call his own name.

Folklore / Andong · South Korea / Joseon period