Each country has a typical holiday. Holidays refer to anniversaries with meaning in each country that have been handed down since ancient times. Each holiday has its own meaning, but it is a day when the whole family gathers to eat delicious food and enjoy holiday events.

There are five representative holidays in Korea. New Year's Day, Chuseok, Dano, Jeongwol Daeboreum, Korean food. Among these, the biggest and most representative holidays are Lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok.

While watching Korean dramas, people say it's a holiday, and people gather to eat and eat, but what kind of day is it? I'm living in Korea, but if you're curious about what to eat today, what to do on this day, or what to eat for the holidays, I'll answer your questions right away!

New Year's Day, a typical holiday to start the year

One of the most representative Korean holidays and the representative Korean holiday that starts the year is Seollal. Since this day uses the date calculation method of January 1st of the lunar calendar, the date changes slightly every year. However, it is usually a holiday that is celebrated in January or February. Every year when New Year's Day is on the calendar, you can tell when New Year's Day is this year by looking at the calendar.

New Year's Day is a day that signifies the time when deceased ancestors and descendants spend together. Usually, when Lunar New Year comes, most people go to their hometowns to spend time with their families. On New Year's Day, after the turn of greeting with food to the ancestors who are coming to visit, Sebae is held to greet the elders in the family. It is a traditional custom for the elders of the family to give pocket money called New Year's Eve to the descendants who made the three times this way.

Do you have any food to eat on New Year's Day?



One of the things Koreans must do on New Year's Day is to eat tteokguk. Tteokguk, which is made by slicing long, white rice cakes into thin slices, is a must-eat on New Year's Day in Korea. In Korea, they say that if you eat this tteokguk, you will get one year older.

But I think there are many people who wonder why it is said that if you eat tteokguk on New Year's Day, you will get one year older if you eat tteokguk. The reason is because the white, long-shaped rice cake is a food ingredient that means 'longevity', that is, longevity. Eating tteokguk, like the shape of long, white rice cakes, they pray for a long and healthy life.

Chuseok, a traditional holiday that marks the end of a year of farming

Along with Seollal, Korea's representative holiday is Chuseok. Chuseok is on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, and it is also called 'Hangawi' because it is the middle of August and the middle of autumn. Chuseok is a holiday to give thanks for the harvest while finishing farming for the year. It is a holiday that has been passed down from a very old time in Korea called the Shilla Dynasty.

In the past, on Chuseok, the whole family would gather and play games such as ganggangsullae, tug-of-war, palanquin fight, cow play, turtle game, bull fight, and cockfight under the full moon. Even recently, if you go to a Chuseok event, you can experience these traditional games. Even if these traditional games are not played, the whole family still gathers on Chuseok, eats delicious food, laughs and chats, and has a good time.

Do you have any food to eat during Chuseok?

One of the representative foods eaten during Chuseok is a rice cake called songpyeon. When making songpyeon, pine leaves are spread and steamed, so eating songpyeon makes you as healthy as a pine tree, so it is a tradition to make and eat it on Chuseok. Usually, the whole family sits around to make songpyeon and eat it. Most of the common songpyeon are white or green, which is the color of the material called mugwort.

Just hearing the words of this holiday makes me feel excited and happy. The food eaten during Korean holidays not only has a good meaning, but also tastes great. Also, the fun of enjoying traditional games during Korean holidays with many people is also considerable. Korean holidays, how about taking care of them together?