Cultureㆍ Art - Life Style: Festivals

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Life Style: Festivals

Views 2954 Votes 0 2009.06.02 23:05:08

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   In bygone days, festivals were lavish religious observances. It was during the Confederated Kingdoms period that harvest thanksgiving festivals began to be observed officially. They included the yeonggo (spirit-invoking drums) of Buyeo, dongmaeng (worship of the founder) of Goguryeo, and mucheon (dance to Heaven) of Dongye. Usually, festivals were conducted in the tenth month, according to the lunar calendar, after harvests were over, with the exception of yeonggo on the 12th month.

   The tradition of enjoying the autumnal harvest and greeting the new year in merriment continued through the later kingdoms and dynasties, although each kingdom had its addition and deletion of holidays. Due to the hectic pace of life today, modern Korea has lost many of its traditional holidays.

   But a few holidays are still celebrated fervently. One such day is Seol, the first day of a year by the lunar calendar, which falls sometime in late January to late February by the Western calendar. The entire family gathers on that day.

   Dressed mostly in hanbok or their best outfits, the family observes ancestral rites. After the ceremonies, the younger members make a traditional deep bow to their elders.

   Other major holidays include Daeboreum, the first full moon of the year after Seol. During this holiday, farmers and fishermen pray for a bountiful harvest and catch, and ordinary households express yearning for a fortuitous year and the prevention of bad luck by preparing special dishes of seasonal vegetables.

   On Dano, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, farmers took a day off from the field for joint festivities marking the completion of sowing, while women washed their hair in special water prepared by boiling iris with the hope of preventing misfortune. Dano was a major holiday in the old days, but interest has decreased except in a few provinces.

   Chuseok, the autumnal full moon day that falls on the 15th day of the eighth month by the lunar calendar, is probably the most anticipated festive day for modern Koreans.

throngs of cars fill expressways and almost all institutions and stores are closed for three days. Family members get together, pay tribute to their ancestors, and visit ancestral graves. People living in cities return to their hometowns to observe Chuseok. Airplane and train tickets for those returning to their hometowns are usually reserved several months in advance.

Among other festive days are Buddha's Birthday, which falls on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, and Christmas which not only Christians but most young people enjoy. On Buddha's Birthday, a huge crowd of Buddhists parade through the heart of Seoul, while lotus-shaped Buddhist lanterns are hung along major streets.

There are several family holidays that are important for all Koreans and that are celebrated with feasting and merriment

They include baegil, the 100th day after a child's birth, dol, baby's first birthday, and hoegap or hwan-gap, one's 60th birthday, which is considered as the completion of the 60-year cycle of the Oriental zodiac. These special days were observed with much enthusiasm when infant mortality was high and life expectancy was low.

Such occasions were observed as festivals in which even remote relatives attended, but these days they are usually observed by only close family members. As for hoegap, more and more senior citizens turn to other forms of celebration such as overseas travel, instead of enjoying celebrations at home.

You would..

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No.	Subject	Views
Everything you ever wanted to know about Korean surnames When this author mentioned that he would be moving to Korea, he was told that he would soon have lots of friends named "Kim." Due to lack of prior contact with Korea or Korean people, he had no idea what this meant, but shortly after arrival on the peninsula the full reality became clear. According to Korean government sta... Views 1737
Life Style: Religion Unlike some cultures where a single religion is dominant, Korean culture includes a wide variety of religious elements that have shaped the people's way of thinking and behavior. In the early stages of history in Korea, religious and political functions were combined but they later became distinct. Historically, Koreans lived under ... Views 2503
Life Style: House ▲ Ondol: In modern usage it refers to any type of underfloor heating of a room that follows the traditional way of eating and sleeping on the floor. Hanok, traditional Korean houses, remained relatively unchanged from the Three Kingdoms period through the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Ondol, a unique Korean underfloor heatin... Views 1922
Museums and Theaters ▲ National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul Grand Park Korea abounds in cultural facilities of all levels and categories where people can enjoy exhibitions and stage performances throughout the year. These places offer an on-the-spot glimpse into the cultural and artistic achievements of Koreans past and present, regarding both ... Views 1925
Drama and Movies ▲ Daejanggeum [2003, MBC] Based loosely on a historical figure depicted in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the show focuses on Jang-geum, Korea's first female royal physician While music and dance play an integral role in all traditional theatrical performances, Korean drama has its origins in prehistoric religious rites. A good e... Views 1926
Music and Dance ▲ Ensemble of national classical music performing Sujecheon [Long Life as Eternal as the Heavens] Music and dance were means of religious worship and this tradition continued through the Three Kingdoms period. More than 30 musical instruments were used during the Three Kingdoms period, and particularly noteworthy was the hyeonhakgeum... Views 1977
Painting ▲The figures on the walls of Muyongchong [the Tomb of the Dancers] from the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C. - A.D. 668) Although Korean painters showed a certain level of accumulated skills from the time of the Three Kingdoms, most paintings have been lost because they were drawn on paper. As a result, it is only possible to apprec... Views 2723
Literature Yongbieocheonga: ▲ The work eulogizes the virtue of the ancestors for the House of Yi, the founding family of the Joseon Dynasty, likening them to a deep rooted tree and a spring of deep waters Korean literature is usually divided chronologically into classical and modern periods. Korea's classical literature developed against the... Views 1964
Fine Arts Though people started living on the Korean Peninsula in the Paleolithic Age, existing remains indicate that the origin of fine arts dates back to the Neolithic Age (c. 6,000-1,000 B.C.). Rock carvings on a riverside cliff named Ban-gudae in Ulsan on the southeast coast feature vivid descriptions of animals and are noteworthy ... Views 1828
Life Style - Culinary Culture : Table Manners and Table Settings Table Manners and Table Settings From ancient times, Koreans have used spoon and chopsticks as their eating utensils. The spoon was for scooping steamed rice, soup, and stew, and chopsticks were used to eat a variety of prepared side dishes. Koreans are trained to use the spoon and the chopsticks correctly from childhood. Using ... Views 2237
Life Style - Culinary Culture : Ceremonial Food During the Joseon period, ceremonies were an important part of every family household and as a consequence, special foods for those ceremonies were developed. In particular, on the occasions of marriage and Hwan-gap, a special table-setting was arranged, which featured a variety of foods stacked up to about 30 to 50 centimeters high... Views 1994
Life Style - Culinary Culture : Kimchi Kimchi is a uniquely pungent mixture of fermented vegetables and its variations amounted to roughly 80 kinds of dishes during the Joseon period. For spring, summer, and fall consumption, kimchi was cured in a small quantity, but for the winter months, large quantities were made so that it could be eaten over three or four months.... Views 2061
Life Style - Culinary Culture History of the Development in the Culinary Culture Korea's culinary culture has been shaped with by its natural environment. Korea is located in the mid-altitude of the Northern Hemisphere, and belongs to a cold-temperate zone. Korea is surrounded by water on three sides, where both cold and warm currents cross each other, ... Views 2652
Life Style: Festivals In bygone days, festivals were lavish religious observances. It was during the Confederated Kingdoms period that harvest thanksgiving festivals began to be observed officially. They included the yeonggo (spirit-invoking drums) of Buyeo, dongmaeng (worship of the founder) of Goguryeo, and mucheon (dance to Heaven) of Dongye. Usually, festi... Views 2954
Life Style: Names Korean names have almost invariably consisted of three Chinese characters that are pronounced with three Korean syllables. The family name comes first, while the remaining two characters form the given name. However, this old tradition no longer remains intact. Of course, the majority still follow this tradition, but more and more... Views 2615
Life Style: Family Life In traditional Korea, the typical family was large with three or four generations usually living together. Because infant mortality was high and a big family was thought of as a blessing, having many children was desired. However, the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the country in the 1960s and 1970s were accompanied by an... Views 2752
Life Style: Overview It is generally surmised that Paleolithic man began to inhabit the Korean Peninsula about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, although it has yet to be confirmed if they were the ethnic ancestors of present-day Koreans. Some Paleolithic men lived in caves, while others built structures on level ground. They lived on fruit and edible r... Views 2627

No.

Subject

Views

Everything you ever wanted to know about Korean surnames file

When this author mentioned that he would be moving to Korea, he was told that he would soon have lots of friends named "Kim." Due to lack of prior contact with Korea or Korean people, he had no idea what this meant, but shortly after arrival on the peninsula the full reality became clear. According to Korean government sta...

Views 1737

Life Style: Religion file

Unlike some cultures where a single religion is dominant, Korean culture includes a wide variety of religious elements that have shaped the people's way of thinking and behavior. In the early stages of history in Korea, religious and political functions were combined but they later became distinct. Historically, Koreans lived under ...

Views 2503

Life Style: House file

▲ Ondol: In modern usage it refers to any type of underfloor heating of a room that follows the traditional way of eating and sleeping on the floor. Hanok, traditional Korean houses, remained relatively unchanged from the Three Kingdoms period through the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Ondol, a unique Korean underfloor heatin...

Views 1922

Museums and Theaters file

▲ National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul Grand Park Korea abounds in cultural facilities of all levels and categories where people can enjoy exhibitions and stage performances throughout the year. These places offer an on-the-spot glimpse into the cultural and artistic achievements of Koreans past and present, regarding both ...

Views 1925

Drama and Movies file

▲ Daejanggeum [2003, MBC] Based loosely on a historical figure depicted in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the show focuses on Jang-geum, Korea's first female royal physician While music and dance play an integral role in all traditional theatrical performances, Korean drama has its origins in prehistoric religious rites. A good e...

Views 1926

Music and Dance file

▲ Ensemble of national classical music performing Sujecheon [Long Life as Eternal as the Heavens] Music and dance were means of religious worship and this tradition continued through the Three Kingdoms period. More than 30 musical instruments were used during the Three Kingdoms period, and particularly noteworthy was the hyeonhakgeum...

Views 1977

Painting file

▲The figures on the walls of Muyongchong [the Tomb of the Dancers] from the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C. - A.D. 668) Although Korean painters showed a certain level of accumulated skills from the time of the Three Kingdoms, most paintings have been lost because they were drawn on paper. As a result, it is only possible to apprec...

Views 2723

Literature file

Yongbieocheonga: ▲ The work eulogizes the virtue of the ancestors for the House of Yi, the founding family of the Joseon Dynasty, likening them to a deep rooted tree and a spring of deep waters Korean literature is usually divided chronologically into classical and modern periods. Korea's classical literature developed against the...

Views 1964

Fine Arts file

Though people started living on the Korean Peninsula in the Paleolithic Age, existing remains indicate that the origin of fine arts dates back to the Neolithic Age (c. 6,000-1,000 B.C.). Rock carvings on a riverside cliff named Ban-gudae in Ulsan on the southeast coast feature vivid descriptions of animals and are noteworthy ...

Views 1828

Life Style - Culinary Culture : Table Manners and Table Settings file

Table Manners and Table Settings From ancient times, Koreans have used spoon and chopsticks as their eating utensils. The spoon was for scooping steamed rice, soup, and stew, and chopsticks were used to eat a variety of prepared side dishes. Koreans are trained to use the spoon and the chopsticks correctly from childhood. Using ...

Views 2237

Life Style - Culinary Culture : Ceremonial Food file

During the Joseon period, ceremonies were an important part of every family household and as a consequence, special foods for those ceremonies were developed. In particular, on the occasions of marriage and Hwan-gap, a special table-setting was arranged, which featured a variety of foods stacked up to about 30 to 50 centimeters high...

Views 1994

Life Style - Culinary Culture : Kimchi file

Kimchi is a uniquely pungent mixture of fermented vegetables and its variations amounted to roughly 80 kinds of dishes during the Joseon period. For spring, summer, and fall consumption, kimchi was cured in a small quantity, but for the winter months, large quantities were made so that it could be eaten over three or four months....

Views 2061

Life Style - Culinary Culture file

History of the Development in the Culinary Culture Korea's culinary culture has been shaped with by its natural environment. Korea is located in the mid-altitude of the Northern Hemisphere, and belongs to a cold-temperate zone. Korea is surrounded by water on three sides, where both cold and warm currents cross each other, ...

Views 2652

Life Style: Festivals file

In bygone days, festivals were lavish religious observances. It was during the Confederated Kingdoms period that harvest thanksgiving festivals began to be observed officially. They included the yeonggo (spirit-invoking drums) of Buyeo, dongmaeng (worship of the founder) of Goguryeo, and mucheon (dance to Heaven) of Dongye. Usually, festi...

Views 2954

Life Style: Names file

Korean names have almost invariably consisted of three Chinese characters that are pronounced with three Korean syllables. The family name comes first, while the remaining two characters form the given name. However, this old tradition no longer remains intact. Of course, the majority still follow this tradition, but more and more...

Views 2615

Life Style: Family Life file

In traditional Korea, the typical family was large with three or four generations usually living together. Because infant mortality was high and a big family was thought of as a blessing, having many children was desired. However, the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the country in the 1960s and 1970s were accompanied by an...

Views 2752

Life Style: Overview file

It is generally surmised that Paleolithic man began to inhabit the Korean Peninsula about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, although it has yet to be confirmed if they were the ethnic ancestors of present-day Koreans. Some Paleolithic men lived in caves, while others built structures on level ground. They lived on fruit and edible r...

Views 2627

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