The tradition was repressed in the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period and nearly disappeared amidst cultural assimilation efforts.

While the holiday Dano is celebrated elsewhere in Korea and even in China (Dragon Boat Festival), Gangneung Danoje is distinguished by its unique practices and long historical continuity.

Legend has it that, as a young boy, Kim was given a sword of mystic power by a hermit in a cave near Gangneung.

[4] There is also the head guardian spirit of the city, who was another human and historical figure: the Buddhist monk Pŏmil [ko].

For several weeks, access to the brewing alcohol is restricted, as it is believed that people or animals could damage its purity.

After a series of rituals, the head shaman goes up to a tree on the mountain, and brings from it a sacred branch (신목; 神木).

[5] On the 15th day of the 4th month, the festival's leaders and the common people march with the spiritual tablet of the local guardian god and sacred branch.

The procession is said to have 99 curves and valleys; it eventually arrives at a shrine (성황당; 城隍堂) in the village Gusan (구산; 邱山).

[7] In the evening of the 1st day of the 5th month, after rituals and dances at the shrine, the tablets of the married gods and the sacred branch are removed from the shrine of the female god, and a procession is held for them through the main street of the city to the main festival grounds, the Danojang (단오장; 端午場).

[b] On the way, the procession stops at the house of the bride's family, where a large feast with shamanic music and dance is held.

The shamans cover various subjects in their rituals, including filial piety, peace, safety, families, love, war, evil spirits, poverty, and success.

There is an attestation to rituals surrounding appeasing mountain gods in a 1477 text called Ch'ugangnaenghwa [ko].

In spite of this, merchants in Gangneung were able to convince colonial authorities to allow them to preserve some of the rites of the festival.

[14] Many of the previous practices were forgotten due to the colonial period; scholarly efforts occurred for years to reconstruct the activities of the festival.

Around this time, Gangneung Danoje developed a position of prestige as one of the largest cultural festivals in South Korea.

Gangneung is reportedly the only city to have consistently hosted a Dano festival even during the colonial period and the Korean War.