Culture post #4

[Logan Motyka]

For my final cultural artifact, I wanted to look at some of the more historic celebrations in Korea. During my investigation, I stumbled upon “Seollal” or the Lunar New Year's Day. Seollal is one of the largest celebrations in Korea that really represents Korean culture. During the Lunar New Year, many people and their families gather together and eat. The foods they eat are also specific to the Korean culture. This includes things such as tteokguk, which is usually considered special to the Lunar New Year. One key component of Seollal is the emphasis on family tradition and coming together. Korean families are known to travel great distances in order to come together during the Lunar New Year, which is typically the busiest time of the year for Koreans. Another part of the Lunar New Year is the tradition of wearing the “Hanbok,” which is essentially a traditional Korean outfit worn on special occasions. The Hanbok is a key element in the Lunar New Year because it displays Korean culture along with heritage, each Hanbok is a bit different and they are customizable to display relationship status. Another essential aspect of Seollal is the ancestral rites, which are called Charye. This is a tradition in which families gather to pay respect to their ancestors. Families will typically offer respect and gifts to their ancestors; these include things such as fruit, tea, rice, and various traditional dishes from Korean heritage. As I mentioned before, traditional foods are prepared during the New Year. These are essential to having a good time; in addition to tteokguk, dishes like yakgwa and jeon are prepared in order to feast and enjoy time with family and friends while munching on delicious food. Sebae is another part of traditional behavior, which is also known as the “New Year’s Bow.” This is when younger family members conduct a deep, traditional bow to their elders to show respect during the holiday. Luckily, the younger generation receives gifts from the elders in their family, which can include blessings along with money and other gifts. I found the new year really interesting because of how deeply it is involved with the culture of Korea. We really do not have anything close to this, we have our version of the new year where people gather with family and friends to watch the ball drop but is not nearly as historic as Seollal. I would love to travel to Korea one day to see the Lunar New Year in full effect; it seems to be an unbeatable experience. With the fantastic food and folks around you, it would be an incredible experience. 

[Denisse Caguana]

Cool post! I did not know the traditions and history behind the Lunar New Year's Day in Korea so it was interesting to learn more about it. I totally agree with you with how different new year's is celebrated in my family compared to korean families and that I would want to experience it one day.

[James Jang]

Although my family doesn't really celebrate Lunar New Year's, I think it is a great celebration to have with friends and family. I have celebrated before and I've got to say, it was a fun time with all the good food, performances, and money from relatives!