The richness and depth of celebrations express a culture accurately. Parts of the Korean people’s culture expressed accurately is the continued use of the Dangun calendar despite the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Though unofficial, there are festivals and celebrations held according to the traditional calendar. These are the most important traditional festivals and holidays on the Dangun calendar.

Seollal

Seollal is the cultural festival used to celebrate the arrival of the first day of the lunisolar calendar. It generally occurs in January or February or rarely in March (on the Gregorian calendar). It is one of the most famous festivals used as an opportunity for Koreans to travel to meet their family, not only within the country but around the world as well. The festival is used as a family holiday. Koreans wear Hanbok (traditional clothes), pay respect to their elders, and sometimes receive money in return, perform ancestral rites, play traditional games, and they eat traditional food, etc.

Chuseok

Chuseok is a cultural and religious festival. It means ‘autumn evening’. The festival is stipulated for the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar, which usually occurs between August to October on the Gregorian calendar. Chuseok is the biggest traditional holiday in South Korea, and it runs for 3 days, from the 14th day of the lunar calendar to the 16th day. Chuseok is referred to as ‘Korean Thanksgiving’. The celebration style is slightly similar to Seollal. Koreans wear Hanbok and visit their family’s hometown. They also perform ancestor worship during the festival, and celebrate with traditional food like Songpyeon accompanied with rice wine.

Daeboreum

Daeboreum is a cultural festival. It means ‘Great full moon’. The festival is a Korean holiday and it celebrates the first full moon of the lunar calendar new year. The holiday is accompanied by numerous traditions which include cracking nuts with their teeth to have healthy teeth throughout the year, climbing the mountain to see the first rise of the moon, taking some mud from the house of the rich and covering it on their walls, wishing they would be wealthy too, and many more. It is also celebrated with food and drinks like Guibargi wine, Ogokbap, Yakbap, etc. The interesting thing is that each food and drink has its meaning and importance to the festival.

Samjinnal

Samjinnal is a cultural holiday common to Korea, China, and Japan. It marks the arrival of spring and it falls on the third day in the third month of the lunisolar calendar. In Korea, during this holiday, people make Hwajeon (a traditional Korean rice cake), Mung bean noodles, and other dishes to celebrate the festival.

Dano

Dano is a traditional Korean holiday that falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. It celebrates agriculture and a good harvest. Koreans perform ancestral rites, and they participate in some events. Dano festival is also related to Gangneung Dano festival, which focuses on traditional elements from the Joseon dynasty. It includes traditions like wrestling, washing hair with Changpo, and more.

Apart from these important traditional Korean festivals, other minor traditional festivals include:

● Chilseok- The Beginning of the Monsoon or rainy season.

● Hansik- Eating cold food day.

● Chopail- Buddha’s birthday.

One of the most attractive things about Koreans is their value and love for culture. Even with the adoption of civilization and external influences, they have refused to allow some cultures and traditions to go under. This is one of the reasons why the Korean wave will keep spreading.

All festivals teach us to share joy with each other. These traditional Korean festivals are not left out because although they are Korean festivals, the joy they spread is global. ❤️