February 5, 2019: Seollal
Unlike Western countries, Koreans celebrate New Year’s Day 설날 (seollal) on the first day of the lunar calendar, not the solar calendar. Because these two calendars don’t align, New Year’s Day in Korea differs each year. Korean people dress up on New Year’s Day in traditional clothes called 설빔 (seol bim) to celebrate the passing of the old year and the start of a new, fresh year. On New Year’s Day, families typically come together in their parents’ home. The family also performs a ceremony to honor their ancestors, known as 제사 (jesa). This holiday carries a lot of meaning for Korean people and is one of the most celebrated holidays of the year.
Check out our Seollal blog post to learn more
February 19, 2019: Daeboreum
On the Day of the First Full Moon, the night sky is brighter because of the big moon. Many villagers gather and enjoy festivities underneath the bright moonlight. For 달맞이(Dalmaji), which is the first event, all the villagers gather outside to see the moonlight. It’s said that they can predict the year of farming ahead by the moonlight. People believe that if the light is bright, then the year will be plentiful, and if the light is dim, then it will be a rainy season. There’s a very special food that’s eaten only on the Day of the First Full Moon. It’s called 오곡밥 (Ogokbap). It’s made of five ingredients, or 오곡 (Ogok), which are rice, beans, barley, sorghum, and millet.
March 1, 2019: Independence Movement Day
The Japanese Empire ruled the Korean peninsula 한반도 (hanbando) between 1910 and 1945. Many people living in Korea at the time were unhappy with the Japanese colonization and became active in independence movements. The March 1 Independence Movement spread throughout the whole peninsula, and, as a result, many people went to jail. One of the biggest jails was the Seodaemun Prison or 서대문 형무소 (seodaemun hyeongmuso). This jail was established during Japanese rule, and a part of it is still preserved as a memorial. Many Koreans come to this prison and pay their respects to those who made sacrifices for their country.
March 14, 2019: White Day
On White Day, Japanese men are expected to give women gifts as a show of appreciation for the gifts they received a month before on Valentine’s Day. It’s common for the gifts given to be white, such as white chocolate or marshmallows, and to be more expensive than the gifts received by the men.
April 5, 2019: Arbor Day
Also called Sikmogil, Arbor Day is celebrated on April 5 in South Korea. In 2006, Arbor Day lost its status as an actual holiday, but the Korean people still plant trees on this day, as well as commemorate The Three Kingdoms of Korea.
April 19, 2019: April 19th Revolution Day
Seungman Ri or 이승만 (i-seung-man) was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Korea, and held the presidency during and after the Korean War. After the war, he was in power for twelve years, and there was a lot of corruption under his dictatorship. With his re-election in March 1960, it was revealed publicly in April that votes had been controlled. After the election fraud became known, the first demonstration occurred in the city called 마산 (Masan). But the government ordered the police and organized crime groups to mercilessly suppress the demonstrations. Despite the suppression of the protests and the number of people who were injured, the protestors’ will never faltered. And so, on April 19, they held a large-scale protest. After that day, Seungman Ri left Korea and was exiled to Hawaii.
May 5, 2019: Children’s Day
Parents and relatives usually give gifts to children on this day and have picnics at places the children want to visit. Children’s Day began in May in the year 1923. Back then, people weren’t concerned about the rights of children in society, so children didn’t have a very happy life. Realizing this, a novelist named 방정환 (Bang, Jeong-hwan) organized various groups to give children at least one happy day per year, and they set May 1 as Children’s Day.
May 8, 2019: Parents’ Day
Usually, people seldom express how thankful they are to their parents, and that’s why there’s a day in South Korea to do just this. It’s called Parents’ Day, or 어버이날 (Eobeoi Nal). In South Korea, the first thing that usually comes to mind about Parents’ Day is carnation flowers. As May 8 approaches, students make red carnations in art class; they usually write a letter of thanks to go with the carnations they made. Then on Parents’ Day, they pin the carnation corsages on their parents and give them the letter. Adults also visit their parents on Parents’ Day and have a meal with them.
June 6, 2019: Memorial Day
Korean Memorial Day honors those who sacrificed their lives to defend their country, the Republic of Korea or 대한민국 (daehanmin-guk). On that day, a lot of people visit the Seoul National Memorial Cemetery, 서울 국립 현충원 (seoul gunrip hyeon-chungwon) in Seoul. Seoul National Cemetery is a burial site for veterans and those who died in conflict, and on June 6, a ceremony honoring those veterans is held with the families of the deceased and the contributors to independence, as well as the President and key national officials.
Late-June through July: Rainy Season
Around late-June, Korea reaches the peak of its rainy season, the result of high pressures in the Sea of Okhotsk acting upon the anticyclone of the North Pacific. This is a season of heavy rains and even typhoons.
July 17, 2019: Constitution Day
In 1948, South Korea created its first constitution, and to celebrate its promulgation, July 17 was named Constitution Day or 제헌절 (jeheon-jeol). On the morning of Constitution Day, a celebration is held in front of the the National Assembly Building, where Korean laws are passed. Just as everyone is equal under the law, anyone can apply online to participate in this event without any special requirements. Another special event is held there, and it’s the Korean College Student Debate. Students hold a heated debate on controversial topics, such as the release of sex offenders’ private information and the legalization of same-sex marriage.
August 15, 2019: Liberation Day
On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces in the Second World War. At the same time, the Korean Peninsula was freed from Japanese control. Korean people celebrate National Liberation Day on August 15 every year. On National Liberation Day, many people visit Independence Hall 독립기념관 (dongrip ginyeom-gwan) in Cheonan City. This place honors the activists who fought for the independence of the Republic of Korea, and even though a long time has passed since 1945, a lot of families still visit Independence Hall to show their kids the ancestors who didn’t lose their hope in spite of tough times.
September 13, 2019: Chuseok
In ancient Korea, the crop harvest and the bounty were very important to a society that depended on agriculture, so Korean people created a day to give thanks to their ancestors after they finished harvesting. On 추석 (Chuseok), many families gather together and go to the mountains to visit their ancestors’ graves and tidy up the area. After tidying the graves together as a family, they’ll have a meal using the new crops to make various dishes.
October 3, 2019: National Foundation Day
Koreans believe that the history of the country starts in 2333 B.C., when a nation called 고조선 (Gojoseon) was founded. This nation is believed to have started on 강화도 (Ganghwa-do) Island, which is near today’s Incheon International Airport. Many events are held on this island on October 3.
A major event for the holiday is the 개천대제 (Gaecheon-daeje), a special set of rites. The event starts with seven students who wear traditional white dresses and perform fan dances. Then it moves into a torch-lighting ceremony atop a memorial. It’s meant to reenact the way people paid tribute to the gods.
October 9, 2019: Hangul Proclamation Day
Hangul Proclamation Day takes place on October 9 and commemorates the creation of 한글 (Hangul) characters. Hangul characters were created and circulated in 1446 by 세종대왕 (sejong-daewang) or King Sejong of the Joseon dynasty. Even back then, the Korean language was spoken like it is today, but it had no characters of its own. Koreans used Chinese characters when writing, but they took so long to learn that farmers and other people who had to work had a hard time learning them. So in order to create a writing system that anyone could learn, King Sejong founded a place called 집현전 (Jiphyeonjeon) where Hangul was created.
November 11, 2019: Pepero Day
Pepero is a long cookie stick that’s covered in chocolate. It looks similar to the letter “I” or the number one. Since November 11 is a date that contains many number ones, this is the day people exchange Pepero sticks in South Korea. Couples or friends exchange Pepero sticks on this day, and since it’s not expensive, people also give this snack to their coworkers.
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