Today, Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year or better known as Seollal or Seol Nal. So this is just a short post to wish all of you Koreans around the world a Happy New Year.
And here’s something about how Koreans celebrate this auspicious day to all those who may be curious to know.
On this day, Koreans wear their new traditional Hanboks, hold ancestor-memorial services, and bow to their elders and wish each other Happy New Year, followed by the eating of traditional Korean dishes and the playing of traditional Korean games. Apart from it being the New Year, Seollal is also a time for the reunion of family members, who seldom see each other during the year as they may be staying far away from each other.
The celebrations start on the eve when the villagers will stay awake all night to perform ‘narye’, an exorcising ceremony to expel any stray evil spirits. Dancers wearing Ch'oyong masks will dance to the musical accompaniment. People will burn bamboos to ward away evil spirits. They believe that with the sound of the exploding bamboo's knots, the demons would get scared and run away. According to Korean belief, nobody should sleep on that night. Lights of every room in the house and the kitchen will be kept on all night. This is a special way to welcome the New Year with brightness and open eyes.
Then on Seollal, everyone will wake up early in the morning, take a hot bath to cleanse their bodies before donning their best hanboks. Together, the extended family will then perform ch'arye (a ceremony to commemorate their ancestors). This will be followed by bowing to the elders starting with the grandparents, then parents, uncles and aunts. Children are highly elated with the New Year celebrations as they receive cash from their elders. Women spend all day preparing sumptuous meals. They make ddeokguk, a rice dumpling which is the most important dish prepared for the day. Only after eating ddeokguk, is it considered truly the New Year. No Seollal is complete if this dish is not served. Other dishes include garettok, fried meats, fish, dried persimmons, a variety of walnut, dates, vegetables and traditional cookies etc. It is also customary for family members to drink a glass of special liquor which is supposed to improve the power of hearing. Consumption of this liquor on New Year enables one to hear clearly all year long. On Seollal, traditional Korean folk games are played such as Yutnori (a board game played by tossing sticks), Paengichigi (top spinning) and Neolttwigi (standing, high-jump seesaw). Young boys will fly kites trying to cut loose each other's kites by coating their strings with powdered glass.
So I hope that you will enjoy yourselves going back to your hometowns to meet up with friends and relatives.
Today, Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year or better known as Seollal/ Seol Nal. So this is just a short post to wish all of you Koreans around the world a Happy New Year.
On this day, Koreans wear their traditional Hanbok, hold ancestor-memorial services, and bow to their elders and wish each other Happy New Year, followed by the eating of traditional Korean dishes and the playing of traditional Korean games. Apart from it being the New Year, Seollal is also a time for the reunion of family members, who seldom see each other during the year as they may be staying far away from each other.
The celebrations start on the eve when the villagers will stay awake all night to perform ‘narye’, an exorcising ceremony to expel any stray evil spirits. Dancers wearing Ch'oyong masks will dance to the musical accompaniment. People will burn bamboos to ward away evil spirits. They believe that with the sound of the exploding bamboo's knots, the demons would get scared and run away. According to Korean belief, nobody should sleep on that night. Lights of every room in the house and the kitchen will be kept on all night. This is a special way to welcome the New Year with brightness and open eyes.
Then on Seollal, everyone will wake up early in the morning, take a hot bath to cleanse their bodies before donning their best hanboks. Together, the extended family will then perform ch'arye (a ceremony to commemorate their ancestors). This will be followed by bowing to the elders starting with the grandparents, then parents, uncles and aunts. Children are highly elated with the New Year celebrations as they receive cash from their elders. Women spend all day preparing sumptuous meals. They make ddeokguk, a rice dumpling which is the most important dish prepared for the day. Only after eating ddeokguk, is it considered truly the New Year. No Seollal is complete if this dish is not served. Other dishes include garettok, fried meats, fish, dried persimmons, a variety of walnut, dates, vegetables and traditional cookies etc. It is also customary for family members to drink a glass of special liquor which is supposed to improve the power of hearing. Consumption of this liquor on New Year enables one to hear clearly all year long. On Seollal, traditional Korean folk games are played such as Yutnori (a board game played by tossing sticks), Paengichigi (top spinning) and Neolttwigi (standing, high-jump seesaw). Young boys will fly kites trying to cut loose each other's kites by coating their strings with powdered glass.
So I hope that you will enjoy yourselves going back to your hometowns to meet up with friends and relatives.
소원 비는 모두들 새해 복 많이 받으세요!
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