National Holidays
New Years'
Known as "Seolnal," this holiday falls on the 1st day of the Lunar calendar year. In 2019, it'll be on February 5th! Tteok-guk is a rice cake soup that everyone eats on New Years and once you finish it, you will become 1 year older at the same time as everyone else in Korea! And before you even think about it- NOOO, you don't get to live forever if you don't eat the soup. Sorry!
After the soup is eaten, Korean children bow to the elders in their family. This is a sign of great respect and in return, the grandparents will give the children life advice and money!! And again- NOOO, you don't get more money if you bow more than once! haha Playing games is also a big part of the celebration! Two popular games are "Go Stop" and "Yut Nori!" |
Buddha's Birthday
This falls on the 4th month of the Lunar calendar year. Although about 15 million people in Korea actively go to temples and pray with Buddha, this celebration is for everyone! There are many floats and large balloons that are paraded throughout the streets. There are even tightrope walkers and other carnival games to enjoy! The highlight of this holiday is writing your wishes on a lantern and sending them up to the sky! As you can see in the picture, on Buddha's birthday, children can also learn what an average day for a Buddhist monk consists of.
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Chuseok
This is basically like Korean Thanksgiving! Usually celebrated around September, it's a time to enjoy family and be thankful for good harvests. A traditional dance is also performed by women and children (most traditionally, in Hanboks), called Ganggangsullae. Some families also hold a small worship service together on Chuseok day to pray for all of the blessings their family has received.
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Memorial Day
Recognized on June 6th every year, this day is designated for honoring and remembering the attack on Seoul from North Korea, that killed over 7,000 Korean soldiers- Many of whom, were forced to enlist. A memorial service is held on the 6th every year at the Seoul National Cemetery and the President usually speaks at this emotional event.
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Children's Day
Celebrated on May 5th, this day was created by a children's book author in 1923 and recognizes children for growing up well. This day also gives them the opportunity to have a greater sense of patriotism, by being officially acknowledged by their country. On this day, people get the day off work and go to celebrate with the kids in their life. There are parades on this day, and even public museums, zoos, movie theaters and amusement parks give free admission to children. 3 days later, is Parent's day! (Side note- There is no separate Mother's and Father's day in Korean! Just "Parent's Day"). On this day, children give gifts to both of their parents, to say 'thank you' for raising them well.
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Christmas Day
Christmas is celebrated much like it is in America. People, even non-Christians tend to go to church on this day, and there are lights EVERYWHERE. (Department stores tend to have the 'showiest' displays). One token difference between American and Korean Christmas is that it's more of a holiday for couples than for families, in Korea. In America, Christmas is a day to spend time with your family, but in Korea, if you aren't in a relationship at Christmas, it can be a very lonely time of year for you. Christmas trees and gift- giving are becoming more popular, but the most common gift Koreans receive is still money. Even though it's an official public holiday, people still have to go to work and school on the 26th!
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Independence Movement Day
This celebration signifies the day that Koreans protested in the streets for their independence from Japan (March 1st, 1919). The protest began with only 33 people, but in the end, it took Japan a whole YEAR to stop the over 2 million Koreans that had participated in over 1,500 demonstrations! About 7,000 people were killed and another 16,000 wounded. Also, about 700 private houses, 40 churches, and a couple schools were burned to the ground. On top of those numbers, about 45,000 people were arrested. "Mansei!" = "Long Live Korea!"
These numbers absolutely astonish me. The resolve of the Korean people for independence in 1919, is nothing short of inspirational. A quote, from the Korean film "May 18" comes to mind: "You know what's stronger than guns? The people." |
National Liberation Day
In Korean, this is known as Gwangbokjeol, and takes place every year on August 15th. It's Korean name literally translates to mean "The day the light returned." If you haven't guessed this day's significance yet, it is the day that Japan left Korea, in 1945. This is also the ONLY holiday that is recognized by BOTH North and South Korea! On this day, the Korean flag is hung at every house and the President usually attends a performing arts center to hear the official song of Liberation played.
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Foundation Day
Known, in Korean, as Gaecheonjeol, it is celebrated on October 3rd every year. This date marks the beginning of Korean society (Choson Kingdom in 2333 B.C.). Tangun, believed to be the first leader of Korea, taught the people the code of ethics and other cultural practices that Koreans still stand by, today! Tangun was the son of a God and a Bear- woman. I know... strange, right? But! He gave Koreans the gifts of art, medicine and agriculture. He served as Korea's ruler for more than 1,000 years, before becoming a mountain God. This is a day of strong National pride in Korea. There are always fireworks in Seoul, and some Koreans even travel to China to visit the Baekdu mountain (believed to be the birthplace of Korea). This mountain is actually on the border of China and North Korea, but due to the conflicts with the North, Koreans have to go through China to see the mountain.
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Hangul Day
Although Korean people have always spoke the Korean language, up until 1443, they had to use the Chinese alphabet to write in Korean. The problem is that- phonetically- the sounds of the two languages are completely different, so King Sejong wanted to create an easier writing system to better suit the Korean language. This is when the Korean alphabet, otherwise known as Hangul, was born. To celebrate the birthday of the Korean alphabet, you can visit the King Sejong museum, located under his golden statue in Seoul (pictured)! You can even get the day off work and school for this holiday!!! Thanks, King Sejong! ;)
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Sources:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/south-korea-celebrates-lunar-year-family/story?id=53134759
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-korea/articles/how-south-korea-celebrates-buddhas-birthday/
https://traveltips.usatoday.com/chuseok-festival-korea-103094.html
https://www.koreanclass101.com/blog/2009/06/06/korean-culture-hyeonchung-il-korean-memorial-day/
https://www.officeholidays.com/countries/south_korea/childrens_day.php
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/south_korea.shtml
https://thekoreanway.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/independence-movement-day-%EC%82%BC%EC%9D%BC%EC%A0%88/
https://www.10mag.com/national-liberation-day-gwangbokjeol/
https://www.90daykorean.com/national-foundation-day-in-korea/
https://www.90daykorean.com/hangul-day/
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-korea/articles/how-south-korea-celebrates-buddhas-birthday/
https://traveltips.usatoday.com/chuseok-festival-korea-103094.html
https://www.koreanclass101.com/blog/2009/06/06/korean-culture-hyeonchung-il-korean-memorial-day/
https://www.officeholidays.com/countries/south_korea/childrens_day.php
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/south_korea.shtml
https://thekoreanway.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/independence-movement-day-%EC%82%BC%EC%9D%BC%EC%A0%88/
https://www.10mag.com/national-liberation-day-gwangbokjeol/
https://www.90daykorean.com/national-foundation-day-in-korea/
https://www.90daykorean.com/hangul-day/