Sae hae bok mani badeuseyo!
(which translates to Receive many New Year blessings, or more loosely, “Have a blessed New Year.” ) Here in Korea, we got to celebrate by being on vacation for 4 days ^^ It was a bit hectic, as this is the biggest times for people to travel through out the country. Although the country adopted the Gregorian solar calendar in 1895, the lunar calendar is still commonly used to mark special days of the year and in age reckoning.
Last year, a reported 30.88 million people hit the road during the Lunar New Year, which fell on February 3. Today I was one of the estimated 6.47 million people in transit. [1]
6 Fast Facts
- The celebration of the Lunar New Year is called Seollal (설날) here in Korea
- Gifts are exchanged among family members and friends, so gift shopping before the holiday is essential.
- The main tradition of Seollal is called Charye (차례) which is performed early in the morning. An offering of food is sacrificed for ancestors, and family members pay their respects by bowing twice. Afterward, the food is usually eaten to close the ritual.
- Another morning ritual is Sebae (세배), in which younger people pay their respects to their elder relatives by performing one deep bow and saying “Sae hae bok mani badusaeyo”. They are then rewarded with money!
- You eat tteokguk, a soup with slices of rice cake, to signify advancing one year in age.
- You play a game called Yutnori (윷놀이) which is what the first picture above is displaying.
My Year of the Dragon
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.
Eleanor Roosevelt
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