South Korea recognizes Christmas as a national holiday.

Christian and non-Christian Koreans engage in some holiday customs such as gift-giving, sending Christmas cards, and setting up decorated trees in their homes; children, especially, appear to have embraced Santa Claus, whom they call Santa Halabuji (Grandfather Santa) in Korean, Local radio stations play holiday music on Christmas Day and a few days before, while television stations are known to air Christmas films and cartoon specials popular in the Western countries. In addition, increasing numbers of stores and buildings are displaying Christmas decorations. As in the West, churches in Korea hold Christmas pageants and conduct special services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Young people especially enjoy the fellowship these observances provide; after the Christmas Eve services, for example, they go caroling to the homes of older church members, where they are usually treated to hot drinks and snacks. South Korea is the only East Asian country to recognize Christmas as a national holiday.
The new Cheonggyecheon river in Seoul, South Korea at Christmas time.

In South Korea Christmas carries different meaning for individuals. Some people treat Christmas in South. Korea as another passing phrase of life. Whereas some people take it as a time of sharing moments of enjoyments with family and friends. To a few people, in South Korea Christmas means to do sacrifices and charity works. Of the total Korean population the half is entitled to Buddhism, and half are Christians. So it is seen that in South Korea non-Christians people has hardly any feel for the occasion, as they treat it with disgrace, if not with indifference, because they feel it is not their occasion, on the other hand people from Christian origin celebrates the day in many ways, which is very much individualistic and un-predictable. But the young section of the society celebrates Christmas almost as the western people do. During Christmas in South Korea most of the Christian people exchange gifts among themselves. These gifts are interesting. Mostly money is given as a token of gift also other articles are exchanged like jewelry, flowers, books, shoes, bags, and attires. Houses are decorated with lanterns, lights, and colorful paper arts. Christmas trees are found peeping from the windows and also on the pavements of each Christian houses. Lots of entertainments are arranged for Children during Christmas in South Korea, of which the most popular is the Santa Clause. In the country, several Santa Clauses are find roaming about in blues and red costumes and offering

chocolates and cakes to the passersby, this excites the children, and makes the adults equally elated. During Christmas Nights various restaurants offer special cuisines, and dance floors are made in red carpets and flowers to make the environment special. Christian people in South Korea make cakes, meat loafs, rice and other traditional culinary at home and have fests with family and friends. Because Christianity and Western culture are both fairly new in Korea, most of the Christmas celebrations are very similar to those found in Europe and the United States. Popular Christmas traditions include:

Exchanging Christmas cards: Korean Christmas cards are generally less expensive than cards in the

United States, and they often have peaceful outdoor scenes, Korean landscapes, or other artwork on them. Most cards will use the phrase "Season's Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas" in order to appeal to a wider segment of the population.

Church services and pageants: Christian churches in Korea hold traditional evening services

on Christmas Eve as well as mass on Christmas Day, which often includes a baptismal service. Christmas movies: Holiday cartoons and Christmas movies are popular seasonal entertainment in Korea,

especially for children and families. Exchanging gifts: Young children eagerly await the arrival of Santa Haraboji, or Santa Grandfather, on

Christmas Eve. Friends and family members may also exchange gifts for Christmas in Korea. Decorated trees: Not every family in Korea will have a Christmas tree, but those that do will often decorate

it with lights and ornaments similar to those found in the United States. Christmas dinner: A formal dinner is a popular way to celebrate the holiday with family members, though

the menu usually includes popular Korean dishes such as sweet potato noodles, rice cake soup, barbecued beef (bulgogi), and spicy pickled cabbage (gimchi).

Public decorations: Because Christmas is a public holiday in South Korea, many businesses such as

department stores and other retailers will decorate lavishly to attract customers with seasonal cheer. Caroling: Youth groups frequently organize caroling parties for Christmas in Korea. Starting from the church, they will visit the homes of older church members singing Christmas carols. It is traditional to invite carolers in for hot drinks and treats.

What Korean Christmas Celebrations Don't Have

Korean Christmas traditions are less elaborate than most holiday celebrations in the West. Non-Christians may enjoy family gatherings and gift exchanges, but in general the holiday is much more subdued and it is not one of the largest holidays on the Korean calendar. In fact, for many families New Year's Day is a more important holiday and is spent celebrating with large gatherings, while Christmas celebrations are more popular with teens and children. Korean Christmas celebrations also do not have multiple gifts. Because the holiday is not as popular or widespread in Korea, it is more traditional to give a relative or close friend one thoughtful gift rather than several presents. Because of the Western influence that has brought Christmas to Korea, the celebrations also usually lack specific ceremonies to honor one's ancestors, which are normally a significant part of major Korean holidays.

Celebrating Korean Christmas Traditions

Celebrating Christmas with Korean cultural awareness can introduce new meaning to the holiday. Many families who want to celebrate their Korean heritage or share unique cultures choose to incorporate Korean traditions into their holiday festivities. Easy ways to honor Korean traditions include:

Organizing a caroling party on Christmas Eve. Limiting the number of gifts to focus on the meaning behind them rather than their materialism. Adding Korean foods to the Christmas dinner menu. Learning how to say Merry Christmas in Korean - sun tan chuk ha. Attending Christmas religious services.

Korean Christmas traditions are very similar to traditions found in Europe and the United States, but they also include Asian modesty and cultural awareness.

There are more Christians in South Korea (the Republic of Korea) than in other asian countries such as China andJapan, so Christmas is a celebrated more widely. (Christians make up about 25-30% of the population.) However, the other 70% of people in South Korea are mostly Buddhist, so Christmas isn't an important festival (and not really celebrated by Buddhist people in South Korea). Unlike Japan, Christmas is an official holiday - so people do have the day of work and school! But they go back on the 26th (Boxing Day). There's a longer official winter break in the New Year. Churches are decorated with lights and many have a bright red neon cross on top (all the year!) so that goes very well with the Christmas lights! Most churches will have a service on Christmas day. Going to Church for Christmas is becoming more popular, even among non Christians. Department stores put on big displays of decorations. There's also an amazing display of lights in the capital city, Seoul. The lights are all over the city centre including the bridges over the Han River. Some people (especially Christians and westerns who live in South Korea) will have decorations at home including aChristmas tree. Presents are exchanged and a popular present is money! Gift actually gifts is becoming more popular, but giving money is still very common. Korean's don't usually have birthday or anniversary celebrations. The main gift and money giving time is during Korean New Year (which is at the same time as Chinese New Year). Santa Claus can also be seen around Korea but he might be wearing red or blue!

A popular Christmas food is a Christmas Cake, but it's often a sponge cake covered in cream brought from a local bakery! Or you might even have an ice cream cake from a shop like 'Baskin Robbins'!!! Happy/Merry Christmas in Korean is 'Sung Tan Chuk Ha'. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages. If you live in North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Christmas will be very different. Being a Christian is 'offically' allowed but you can go to prison, or even be killed for being a Christian or even having a bible. Christians in North Korea have to meet in secret and any celebrations of Christmas will also be in secret. Thank you to Heidi Wenger for her help in giving me information on Christmas in South Korea!

New Year In Korea

"Say hay boke-mahn he pah du say oh" is the New Year's greeting in Korea. New Year's day is the greatest celebration of the year in Korea. Like, Chinese and Vietnamese, Korean New Year (Seol-Nal) is also celebrated at sunset on the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice. It is a Lunar New Year (harvest moon festival). Seol Nal is a three day celebration and almost all Koreans move to their hometowns to celebrate the occasion.

New Year Eve's Celebrations

New Year Eve is also called Sut dal kum mum in Korean. On this day, people clean their houses and light it with colorful halogens. At the evening of this day, Koreans take a bath with hot water and burn bamboo sticks to casts off the evil spell. As per the Korean belief, no body should sleep on that night otherwise the eyebrows would turn white. Lights of every room and kitchen are kept on all night. This is a special way to welcome the New Year with brightness and open eyes.

Seol Nal Customs and Traditions

Koreans wake up early in the morning, take bath and wear new clothes called Sol Bim (hanbok). They make Sae Bae (bow) to the parents and grandparents. New Year wishes are also exchanged called Duck Dam. 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 Ttokuk which is the most important dish prepared for the day. Other dishes include garettok, fried meats, fish, dried persimmons, a variety of, walnut, dates, vegetables, traditional cookies etc. It is customary for family members in Korea to drink a glass of a special liquor called vgui balki sool. This liquor is said to improve the power of hearing. Consumption of this liquor on New Year enables ones to hear clearly all year long. Then comes the time to serve the ancestors. This tradition is

popularly known as Chesa. In a clean room, a table altar is placed covered with several food items. Given below is the specific order of food placement: Jwa po woo rye: On the left - Meat. On the right - Rice Drink Doo dong mi seo : East : Head. West: Tail Hong dong bek seo : East: Red color. West: White color. On a special paper called Chi Bang, the names of the ancestors are written. On the left - men's name and on the right - women's name. The names scribbled should be in a perfect order from great great grand parents to the parents' names.. Such rituals are performed to give energy to the deceased ancestors to give blessings to their descendants.

Seol Nal Celebrations

After performing all rituals seriously, it is the time to have some fun and enjoyment. Some most popular games like yut game, kite flying, top-spinning, jae gi cha gi skiing are played on Soe Nal. Yutnol-ee is one such traditional game that can be played anywhere with great enthusiasm. It is a stick throwing game played from New Year's day until January 15 called Daeborum. Games like Jae gi cha gi (similar to kicking hacky sacks) are also enjoyed by young kids.

Korean New Year, commonly known as Seollal (Hangul: ; RR: Seollal; MR: Sllal), is the first day of the lunar calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. It consists of a period of celebrations, starting on New Year's Day. The Korean also celebrate solar New Year's Day on January 1 each year, following the Gregorian Calendar. The Korean New Year holidays last three days, and is considered a more important holiday than the solar New Year's Day. [1] The term "Seollal" generally refers to Eum-nyeok Seollal (, lunar new year), also known as Gujeong (Hangul:; Hanja: ). Less commonly, "Seollal" also refers to Yang-nyeok Seollal ( , solar new year), also known as Sinjeong (Hangul: ; Hanja: ). Korean New Year generally falls on the day of the second new moon after winter solstice, unless there is a very rareintercalary eleventh or twelfth month in the lead-up to the New Year. In such a case, the New Year falls on the day of the third new moon after the solstice (next occurrence will be 2033). Korean New Year is generally the same day asChinese New Year, Mongolian New Year, Tibetan New Year and Vietnamese New Year. A commonly used Western name to describe this festival inclusively, although scientifically incorrect, is Lunar New Year.

Customs
Korean New Year is typically a family-oriented holiday. The three-day holiday is used by many to return to their home towns to visit their parents and other relatives where they perform the ancestral ritual known as charye (). Many Koreans dress up in colorful hanbok. Tteokguk () (soup with rice cakes) is commonly served.

Many Koreans greet the New Year (both Western and lunar) by visiting East coast locations such as Gangneung and Donghae in Gangwon province, where they are most likely to see the first rays of the New Year's sun.[2]

Insertformulahere===Sebae===
Sebae is a traditionally observed activity on Seollal, and is filial-piety-orientated. Children wish their parents a happy new year by performing one deep traditional bow (rites with more than one bow involved are usually for the dead) and the words saehae bok manhi badeuseyo (Hangul: ) which translates to please receive many blessings in the new year. Parents typically reward this gesture by giving their children new year's money (usually in the form of crisp paper money) and offering words of wisdom, or deokdam. Historically, parents gave out rice cakes (ddeok) and fruit to their children instead. [edit]Folk

games

Many traditional games are associated with the Korean New Year. The traditional family board game Yutnori () is still a popular pastime. Traditionally men and boys would fly kites and play jegi chagi (), a game where a light object is wrapped in paper or cloth, and then kicked in a Footbag like manner. Korean women and girls would have traditionally played neolttwigi (), a game of jumping on a seesaw (), while children spun paengi ().

About the Korean New Year In Korea, Solnal is the first day of the first month of the new year. While many Koreans celebrate the New Year on January 1st of the solar calendar, the lunar new year is still popular today. In many Korean communities, the New Year is celebrated twice. The Lunar New Year starts on February 12 in 2002. According to the Asian Zodiac, 2002 is the Year of the Horse. The Koreans focus on the family as they celebrate the beginning of the New Year. Children put on new traditional clothes called hanbok. They kneel and bow to their ancestors and elders. Family members wish each other prosperity and good fortune. Then they exchange gifts. Children receive lucky money, candy and fruit from the elders. The family spends time together and have rice-cake soup for breakfast. Children often take this day to play special New Year games.

In parts of Korea, people usher in the New Year with a ritual called Jishin Balpgi. Loud drums and gongs are played to scare off evil spirits of the old year. At the end of the day, friends and relatives join together for dinner to renew their friendship. Sol is a celebration of family and good friends. And for the Koreans, the New Year is about family and community.
The New Year's Eve in Korean is called "Sut dal kum mum". The Koreans celebrate the New Year on the first day of the lunar year. This day is called Sol-nal. On this day the people in Korea renovate their bonds of the past and make great preparations for the coming year.Custom has it that on the New Year's Eve night nobody is supposed to sleep. It was believed that if anyone slept on that night their eyebrows would turn white. In order to keep awake one found the lights in every room on. This was usually done to receive the brightness for the coming year and awaken the closed eyes. Cleaning the house on the New Year's Eve is an important custom followed along with having a bath with hot water in the evening. The people in Korea followed a custom of burning bamboo sticks to cast off the evil spirits. It was believed that if the bamboos knots made a sound the demons would get afraid and run away. The people of Korea observed a ceremony of presenting an offering if there was a "sadang" at home on the last day. On the night of the New Year the people in Korea welcome the New Year by wishing each other especially the elders in the family as a sign of pleasure. Straw scoopers, rakes or sieves are seen placed on the doors and walls of the houses of the Korean people. The wide populaces in Korea believe that this would protect the families from evil spirits and keep them safe for the coming year. Family gatherings at the home of the eldest member of the family and dressing in new clothes are New Year customs that the people in Korea believe in following. New clothes symbolize a new and fresh beginning of life and are considenavy to be lucky for the New Year. Certain games like yut nori, that is a stick game and people can be seen playing on large sew-saws are a part of the activities done by the people in Korea on New Year. As a mark of respect the younger in the family pay obeisance to the elders wishing them good luck, health and success for the coming year. The wide populaces in Korea also hold Sncestral memorial rites on New Year. The wide populaces believe in calculating the age on New Year. The people believe that everyone becomes a year older on New Year. Ttokkuk, which is a bowl of rice cake soup, is eaten on New Year. The Koreans believe eating this soup on New Year would help in adding an extra year of age to their life. Literature:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_worldwide http://www.mapsofworld.com/south-korea/culture/christmas.html http://christmas.lovetoknow.com/Korean_Christmas_Traditions http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/south_korea.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_New_Year http://www.newyearfestival.com/new-year-in-korea.html http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/korean_new_year.htm