In the days of old, people in Korea worshipped the Seonangshin, a deity they believed to be the patron god of villages. They would consecrate a tree by hanging strips of blue, red, yellow, white, and black fabric on its branches and building rock cairns around it. At these tree shrines, called seonangdang, the villagers would pray to the deity to ward off evil, bring them good luck, protect loved ones, and whatever else humans prayed for.
