Every year in May, residents of rural communities across Korea hang a ritualistic straw rope outside their village shrine. This signals the start of byeolsinje, one of the oldest village festivals in the country.

With Dano around the corner, there is a flurry of activities in the coastal village of Chogok-ri.

Some people are busy cutting and carving bamboo tubes to make a sindae, the god-receiving pole.

Byeolsinje is an annual festival that takes place during the Dano holiday, with a shaman-presided rite held every other year.

[Interview]: This is a community event that is joined by all residents of our village. We hold a ritual to pray for the peace and welfare of our village, which is combined with a fishing ritual, as we are a fishing community.

On the fourth day of May, villagers start preparing offerings for the ritual at the shrine of the village guardian god.

At the village guardian god’s shrine, the altar is set up to face the direction of the cheonjedang shrine, and sacrifices are made to Cheonsin, the god of heaven.

The Cheonsin rite is then followed by the Seonghwang rite worshipping the village guardian god.

On the morning of the day when the Dano rite is to take place, a purification ritual is performed.

Eliminating all impurities from the sanctuary is an important step ahead of receiving gods. In this ritual performed by a female shaman, water and fire are used to combat impurities.

At the completion of the purification ritual, a ritual for receiving Seonghwang (or Seonang), the village guardian god, takes place. Members of this coastal community have long held a deep faith in the miraculous power of Haeseonang, the maritime village guardian god.

After the god is received using a bamboo stick called “naerimdae,” the Golmaegi Seonang rite gets underway. Villagers implore Seonang to grant peace and prosperity to their village.

The Seonang rite is next followed by the Sejon rite during which the shaman recites the legend of Danggeum-aegi, a goddess who bestows children.

Seongju is the highest god in the pantheon of household deities. The shaman entertains the participants by performing humorous interludes between the various rituals.

For the ancestral rite, the spirits of all past ancestors of a family are invoked. For the rite of military heroes and generals, the spirits of Kim Yu-sin and other illustrious army generals are summoned.

The shaman picks up a brass jar with the mouth to show the awe-inspiring power of the General God.

The festival continues late into the night, and the Sonnim rite is next on the program. Sonnim, literally meaning the 'guest' or 'visitor,' is a god that brings smallpox and measles. People of yore believed that a properly-performed Sonnim rite was essential for staying healthy and free of disease.

The Jemyeon rite takes place in the morning of the following day. This rite worships Jemyeon Halmeoni, the ancestor of all shamans. A steamed rice cake is the customary offering for this rite.

The shaman hands out steamed rice cake slices to the villagers, wishing each of them the blessings of gods.

Next up is the daenaerim ritual during which the shaman asks Seonang, the village guardian deity, whether the rite has been to his satisfaction.

The geori rite is a fun-filled ritual offering plenty to feast one's eyes on. They say that in the old days, people from neighboring villages used to come over to watch the geori rite. During the phallic worship rite, the shaman mimics the act of sexual intercourse as a way of praying for an abundant catch.

Pungeoje, the fishing rite, takes place after Seonghwangje and Haeseonangje.

People of Chogok-ri worship the Dragon King god as the patron god of fishermen and mariners who has the power to bestow an abundant catch.

When seafarers returned unscathed from a raging sea after a typhoon, they used to praise the Dragon King god for his marvelous power.

The shaman calls out the name of each ship owner and his ship as she implores the Dragon King god for a plentiful catch.

The yongdongu rite during which the shaman rides on a yongdanji, a jar that is the dwelling of household deities, to deliver messages from gods to villagers is performed only in the northern part of the eastern seaboard.

The baennorae rite is performed while waving long pieces of white fabric. Gods return to the otherworld aboard this boat made with white cotton fabric, called "yongseon." Villagers throw money into the boat in prayer for an abundant catch.

The two-night and three-day ritualistic journey ends when this boat that was made with so much care is set on fire.

Through the byeolsinje festival, a fervent entreaty for the peace and prosperity of their community, people of Chogok-ri become one with gods. May the village guardian god and the Dragon King god hear their earnest prayer and grant them an abundant catch. May their gods bless them with health and happiness this year.