A Traditional Korean Holiday Marking the First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year
Jeongwol Daeboreum is a traditional Korean holiday that takes place on the 15th day after the Lunar New Year’s Day. It is a celebration of the first full moon of the year and holds a significant place in Korean culture and tradition.
The significance of the first full moon of the year is deeply rooted in Korean culture. In ancient times, the first full moon was considered to be a symbol of hope and happiness for the coming year.
People would come together on this day to perform traditional customs and rituals to welcome good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year.
Jeongwol Daeboreum is celebrated in various ways across the country. People crack and eat nuts as a symbol of breaking and overcoming hardships.
They also eat five-grain rice and red bean porridge, which is believed to bring good health and good fortune for the year ahead. The Korean folk game, jwibullori, is played, which involves trying to catch a ball made of rice straws. Lastly, sheaf burning, a traditional activity in which sheafs of rice straw are burned, is performed to ward off evil spirits and to bring good luck and happiness.
In recent times, Jeongwol Daeboreum has become an important cultural and touristic event in South Korea. To commemorate the occasion, the “O” in VISITKOREA has been turned into a black rabbit, symbolizing the year of the black rabbit, the fourth animal of the twelve sibijisin (twelve zodiac signs).
Jeongwol Daeboreum is not just a celebration of the first full moon of the year, but a symbol of hope, happiness, and good fortune for the coming year.
It is a time for families and friends to come together to celebrate their culture and to perform traditional customs that have been passed down for generations. Whether you are a local or a tourist, Jeongwol Daeboreum is an event not to be missed.
In conclusion, Jeongwol Daeboreum is a traditional Korean holiday that holds a significant place in Korean culture and tradition.
It is a celebration of the first full moon of the year and a symbol of hope, happiness, and good fortune for the coming year. Join the celebration of this amazing event and experience the rich cultural heritage of South Korea.
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Bureom(부럼): Eating the number of your age of shelled nuts including peanuts and walnuts to bring luck and peace.
Five-grain rice(오곡밥): Five grains include sweet rice, hog millet, Sorghum, green kernel black bean, and red beans. They are eaten to hope for a year of good crops.
Red bean porridge(팥죽): It is said to drive evil spirits away.
Jwibullori(쥐불놀이): A folk game that burns weeds out of rice paddies and farm fields to keep animals and insects away.
Sheaf burning(짚태우기): A ceremony of burning “daljip,” a pile of pine and tree twigs, in hopes of spending a good year and keeping bad lucks away.
12 animal deities(12지신): 12 animal deities that protect the land also portray 12 directions. The 12 animals are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
