Jongmyo Daejae, the grand royal ancestral rite of Joseon, will be held at Jongmyo Shrine on May 1.

The royal memorial ritual, hosted by the Cultural Heritage Administration and Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, is to be performed in Jeongjeon (Main Hall) and Yeongnyeongjeon (Hall of Eternal Peace) at Jongmyo, where the spirit tablets of kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty are enshrined.

Starting with the two-hour-long rite in Yeongnyeong Hall from 9:30am, the ceremony will continue with a royal procession that begins at Gyeongbok Palace at 11:20am. The procession is planned to pass through Sejongno Street and Jongno Street before arriving at Jongmyo after one hour. At 1 pm, the major rite at Jeongjeon will be held for over one and a half hours.

Jongmyo Shrine is a world heritage site designated by UNESCO, and the royal ancestral rite and ritual music of the shrine is inscribed on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity from 2001.

The royal memorial rite takes place every year on the first Sunday of May.