What is Dano

Shin, Yun-Bok

Dano (端午, May 5th of the lunar calendar) is one of the major traditional festivals in Korea along with Sŏrnal (New Years Day, lunar calendar) and the harvest festival Ch’usŏk (August 15th, lunar calendar). Dano usually falls in early to mid June as measured on the solar calendar, a moment when spring turns into summer and when yang energy is at its peak. It represents a significant turning point in agriculture when farmers have just finished seeding and planting. The day thus marks the beginning of the growing season.

Celebrating May 5th by the lunar calendar is a shared tradition among East Asian countries, but the activities differ widely. The Korean celebration includes traditional outdoor and indoor activities including swinging, wrestling, making special cakes containing spring herbs, washing hair with balsam, and giving gifts of fans for use in the coming summer.

The tradition appears in some well-known art works from the Chosŏn Dynasty (1392-1910): in the eighteenth century painting by Shin Yun-bok, and in the “Story of Ch’unhyang”, a famous love story circulated both through written text and through an oral performance tradition called p’ansori.

About the Speaker

Yeonsoo Chee, a specialist in modern Korean painting and Joseon court art, joined the Art Institute of Chicago as the first curator of Korean art in 2020.

In her role at the Art Institute, she is working to grow the Korean art collection and programs to support the museum’s goal of representing the expanse of art across the Asian continent. In November 2024, she debuted a newly expanded gallery of Korean art. Previously, she spent over nine years as a curatorial leader of the USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, contributing to growing both the collection of and programming featuring Korean art as well as expanding the Korean Gallery. In 2017 she was recruited by the Korean government to be the curator and director of exhibitions and publicity at the National Palace Museum of Korea. Her publications include Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art, Selections from the Korean Art Collection at USC Pacific Asia Museum, National Palace Museum of Korea in Seven Themes, and Hyomyeong: Crown Prince and Patron of the Arts.

Yeonsoo holds a BA in English language and literature from Ewha Womans University, Korea, and a BA and a MA in art history from California State University Long Beach.