An Experiential Understanding of the Succession and Transformation in Folk Religions

As human beings interact continuously, and the mind is the expansion of the body, God isnot entirely separated from this world. Rather, God is an entity that continually interacts withit. God is a symbolic entity based on human life, which is affected by the environment, society,and history. Folk Religions are, therefore, this-worldly beliefs to solve the woes in the believers’current lives.First, the shamanistic rituals, the village Gut and the individual Gut , have been changed andsustained as ‘Gut as Intangible Cultural Heritage’ and ‘Gut in Gut-dangs .’ Considering that thereligious meaning of Bujeok , the talismans used in Korean shamanism, could still be found inshamanistic behaviors, such as stone-stacking and wearing ornaments, it is crucial to considerthe shamanistic perspective.Second, the tradition of worshipping household gods has been continued in theGosa tradition. Through symbolic metastasis, the tradition of the Seongju Gosa survivesin housewarming parties, the Teoju Gosa in groundbreaking ceremonies for buildingconstructions, the Siru Gosa in store opening ceremonies, and the ship Gosa tradition in carGosa ceremonies.Third, village rituals have been transmitted as cultural heritages, now that they have beendesignated as intangible cultural heritages and have been employed in creating traditionalvillages. The religious meaning of village rituals has been transmitted through symbolicmetastasis as their values as cultural heritages, artistic performances, and festivals are beingrediscovered.Folk religions have transformed and withstood the changes in the physical basis fortransmission, which had been based on agricultural labor, as well as the changes in the conceptof time, communities, and communication.