This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

Thirty years ago, the chances of finding a cow's head impaled on a trident while people danced around it to bring good luck to fisherman here in South Korea were pretty darn small. But these days, visitors to Incheon would have no trouble witnessing or participating in shamanistic ceremonies like this one. After years of suppression in a land where 30% of the population is Christian, shamanism, the traditional religion of Korea, is making a mighty comeback. Shamanism is the worship of the natural and spiritual worlds and shamans, mudang in Korean, intercede between humanity and powerful spirits through dance and music and ritual. Shamanism crosses all classes: mudang are called upon by the average Joe and politicians alike in their search for security in a rapidly changing world. Shamans have even become staple figures on television dramas. Clearly, popular opinion has taken the shame out of shamanism.

From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.