Korean New Years

I’ve had a lot of people ask me if Korea celebrates Chinese New Year. Being an adopted Korean, I am inclined to report that Korea celebrates Korean New Year.... and then argue that the ‘Sea of Japan’ is misnamed because it is a silly and absurd idea that a country can own part of the ocean, unless that said country is, in fact, Korea. So I openly show my resistance by referring to the span of water between Korea and Japan as the East Sea, but getting back on track...

So, the Korean New Year, it’s called Seollal, and lasts three days. There are a set of rules that determine the actual dates it falls between, something about the moon, bla bla bla, much like Greek Easter, bla bla bla, and this year it fell on February 13, 14 and 15^th. This served me well because I got that Monday off. I slept in, ate fried octopus tentacles dipped in ketchup, sang Barry Manilow in my underwear -- trying to win over the heart of my rooster friend -- all the while, the tv was showing reruns of Smurfs, though of course, entirely in Korean. Now that I’ve burned that image in your mind, I’ll move on to the more sustentative partitions of this blog ;)

Korean New Year is also the Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan and Vietnamese New Year. According to Wikipedia, ‘[These] commonly used Western name[s] to describe this festival inclusively, although scientifically incorrect, is Lunar New Year.’ Sos you know. Many Koreans greet the New Year by visiting the East coast to watch the first sunrise of the year.

This is a family-oriented holiday. People return to their hometowns to visit with relatives and perform the ancestral ritual, Charye, shown in this image. It is the customary way honoring ancestors. A deep bow of respect, called Sebae, is the formal greeting to living elders. Sabae is exchanged between family members and neighbors along with well-wishes. These are prayers for one’s wishes to be fulfilled or to congratulate one on fulfilled wishes.

*Side note, the color green mean prosperity, so children get money, about $10. Don’t let that fool you into thinking they only get a few bucks. One of my students got the equivalent of a month’s salary!

The New Years garb and grub are also tied to tradition. Many Koreans dress in colorful Hanbok. Hanbok has an interesting history, and since this is my blog and my Wednesday night, I thought I’d elaborate a bit. The literal meaning of Hanbok is “Korean clothing” and is often characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. Throughout history, Korea had a dual clothing tradition. Rulers and aristocrats wore foreign styles, while the commoners continued to use a distinct style of native clothing that is known today as Hanbok. There are many variations and combinations of this clothing that has it’s own name, but for the purpose of this brief synopsis, let us celebrate the main idea and not get bogged down with details. So that’s the garb aspect.

As for the grub. Well every student was particularly excited about ddeock. Naturally, I assumed it was some dish with duck in it, but alas, my cunning postulations failed me once again. Damn these etymology traps! Damn them I say! It is a Korean cake made with steamed sweet rice. There are hundreds of different kinds of ddeock eaten year round, but on New Year’s Day, it's a celebratory food ranging from elaborate fruits and nuts versions, to the plain-flavored ddeock used in home cooking. Common ingredients are mung bean, red bean and sweet red bean past, Korean mugwort, jujube and other dried fruits, sesame seeds and oil, sugar, and pine nuts.

And so, in short, Seoullal is a 3-day celebration to honor ancestors and living family life. It is a chance to dress in elaborate Korean clothes and eat comfort food while surrounded by loved ones. And on at least one day, you drive to the ocean or sea, and if that’s not available, to the mountains, and watch the first sunrise as a family. Oh, and if you are a child, you can make a killing. It's easy to understand why this a special holiday for Koreans.

I thought about asking to share part of this holiday with a fellow teacher, but as I came to understand the familial importants, I decided my wild time with Mr. Manalow just may be the beginning of my own Seoullal tradition.