This is a ritual held to pray that the spirit of the dead may forget all grudges and go to heaven happily and that people still alive may live peacefully. The word ssitgim comes from the Korean verb ssitgida (to wash someone).
The ritual, which is deeply associated with Buddhist beliefs, is thought to have started in the Goryeo Period (877 – 1394). Details of the performance depend on what the occasion is, for example, right after a death, the first/second anniversaries of the death, or burying the body after letting it stay on the ground covered with grass or straw for three to ten years. The ritual is carried out in the following order: Anttang (a sacrificial rite for deceased ancestors), Chogamangseok (invoking the spirit of the dead), Cheoolligi (entertaining the spirit), Sonnimgut (entertaining the spirits of friends of the dead), Jeseokgut (a rite for a deity handling matters such as people’s longevity, grains and clothes), Gopuri (consoling the spirit), Iseulteolgi (washing the spirit of the dead and praying that the spirit go to heaven peacefully), Yeonghwa Ssitgimgut (thanking for ancestors’ protection on a congratulatory occasion of the family), Neokgeonjigut (consoling the spirit of a drowned person), Jeoseung Honsagut (a rite for marriage between the spirits of a dead unmarried woman and man).
The ritual is performed to the accompaniment of music played on piri (flute), daegeum (large-sized bamboo flute), haegeum (two-stringed fiddle), janggo (hourglass-shaped drum), and jing (large gong). The robe worn by the exorcist looks similar to that of a monk. She dances and sings songs to help the dead forget all their grudges.
The dances and music used in the ritual displays high artistic quality. The rite is also a valuable source of material for those studying cultural heritage.