[The Public=Choi Mi-Sung] Korea is one of the countries with the most public holidays in the world. This may sound surprising, however, this is the fact without counting the public holidays celebrating globally like Easter, Christmas or New Year’s Day. Most holidays counted in Korea has both social and cultural meanings. It is never too early to be prepared and get to know about such holidays if you are currently living in Korea, or planning to stay in Korea in close future.
February- Korean Lunar New Year’s Day
Most Koreans do not celebrate the very first day of each year known as New Year’s Day.
Instead, they celebrate the Lunar New Year’s Day called ‘Seolnal’ as the most important holiday of the year. Due to the nature of the Lunar calendar, the Korean Lunar New Year’s Day date changes every year.
Koreans perform ancestral rites on the very day and all the families and relatives get together to celebrate. People eat traditional foods and play traditional games all together.
Every workplaces as well as the schools shut down on the very day. Meanwhile, most tourist sites, restaurants, and shopping centers are open except some during the whole holiday period- you should double check through online or directly to the place you are going to visit if you plan to do something during the holiday period.
March- The independence movement Day and the Presidential Election Day
-The independence movement day; As the name suggests, Independence Movement Day is the day to remind the March 1st Independence Movement, which occurred in 1919 when Korea was still a Japanese colony. The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed by Korean activists. This movement helped on establishing of the first Korean government in
April 1919.
-The presidential Election Day; This is an additional public holiday returning every 5 years as the term of the office of the president is 5 years.
May- Labor Day, Children’s Day, Buddha’s birthday
-Labor Day; Korea have not made the Labor Day as national holiday, but as the social atmosphere changes, certain sectors like government offices and banks are closed on Labor Day.
-Children’s Day; This is the day for all the kids of Korea. The elder show appreciation to all the children and wish for their healthy growth.
-Buddha’s birthday; This day is called ‘Bucheo-nim-o-shin-nal’ or ‘Seok-ga-tan-shin-il’ meaning the day when the Buddha came, or the birthday of Buddha. It is celebrated according to the Korean lunar calendar. On the day, all the temples provide free meals and tea to all visitors and organize the lantern festival called Yeondeunghoe, the Lotus Lantern Festival.
June- Memorial Day
This is a South Korean public holiday on June 6th, commemorating all the Korean men and women who died during military services. People who died during the battle of Bongoh Town, Battle of Chenongsanri, Korean War and the Vietnam war are remembered on this day.
July- The constitution Day
This is on 17 of July, the day when the South Korean constitution was proclaimed in 1948. The date was chosen to match the founding date of the Joseon dynasty.
[Image by Pixabay]
The Public / Journalist Choi Mi-Sung cms90719@naver.com
더퍼블릭 / 최미성 cms90719@naver.com