Hello,
This is Curtis,
And today I want to share a reflection from the city of Andong in South Korea,
A place where ancient stories still live behind painted masks.
The Andong International Mask Dance Festival in Korea didn't start merely as spectacle.
Rooted in the ancient ritual drama called the Ha-hae-byeol-seon-gut-tal-nori,
The masks of Andong once served a deep social purpose,
To give voice to the people,
Poking fun at the elite and revealing hidden truths through satire.
Since 1997,
The city of Andong has taken that tradition and turned it into a 10-day international festival each autumn,
Inviting performers from dozens of countries to celebrate masks,
Movement,
And meaning together.
In the ritual drama of the Ha-hae tradition,
You'll find some interesting characters.
There's the lecherous monk,
Cheong.
He wears a guise of humility.
He roams the village,
Receiving food from others in exchange for prayers and blessings.
There's the proud nobleman,
Or Young-bong.
He is the embodiment of the elite,
Relying upon his wealth for position and authority.
There's the pompous scholar,
Or Sun-bi,
Veying in his learning,
Using knowledge to fuel his ego.
Bun-ae is the flirtatious concubine,
Playful,
Alluring,
And clever,
Using charm to gain what she wants from the social elite.
There's the sly servant,
Cheorang-yi,
Living off of his master's wealth,
All the while mocking and scheming for his own advantage.
Hal-mi is the old woman.
She was left a widow very early in life,
And since then she has voiced her bitterness at the injustices of life.
There's the butcher,
Baek-jeong.
He is an outcast by trade,
Yet his mask can shift from laughter to menace,
Depending on how it's tilted.
Finally there's the fool,
Ee-mae.
The only mask without a chin,
Perhaps the only genuine one.
Without a chin to hide behind,
The wearer's true emotions are visible beneath.
The mask performance was traditionally meant to expose the faults of the elite,
But they also invite us to examine the ones that we all wear,
The masks that gain us position,
Authority,
And power to get what we want.
Watching them,
I realize that the fool may wear the simplest mask,
But his character speaks the loudest truth.
We all live behind such masks,
Masks of learning,
Misery,
Wealth,
Crudeness,
Flattery,
Distrust,
And humility.
Each mask serves us in its own way.
We use them,
Hoping that we can get what we want.
Watching the play,
I thought to myself,
How wearying it is to maintain so many faces,
Each shaped to meet the expectations of others.
Perhaps real wisdom lies not in wearing the appropriate mask,
But in the fool's fearless authenticity.
The truth is,
We exhaust ourselves trying to be somebody that we are not,
Often losing our own identity within the play.
So we search for ourselves in stories,
In the lives of others,
And in empty promises that cater to our fears and desires.
To laugh at our own pretensions,
To drop the performance,
Even briefly,
That may be the truest form of freedom,
And the most profound truth within the festival itself.
I want to thank you for sharing a few minutes with me today.
I'm Curtis,
The Wayward Son,
Making my way home one story at a time.
See you next time.
