Lunar New Year AKA Seollal isn't celebrated the same as the Chinese, in that there aren't big parades with Dragons, fireworks or red envelopes with money. The similarity is that they do abide by the Zodiac Animals (the 12 animals), and your animals is based on a 12 year cycle of animals. I happen to be a boar...which feels appropriate on some lazy Sundays. Anyways, Koreans gather with family, prepare lots of food, pay hommage to elders and the deceased and also eat tteokguk. This is a rice-cake soup, and it's said that when you eat it on Lunar, you turn one year older. Thus, Koreans all turn a year older on THIS day, and not on their actual birthday. Also, they are 1 years old when they are born. So potentially a baby born January 5th say, is 1 and will turn 2 in February, whilst they are really only 2 months old! When you ask a Korean their age, it's possible you may ask their "American age"so that you can compare apples to apples.
But. What does a foreigner in Korea have to look forward to during L.N.Y.? A dead, quiet city. Everyone is out of town visiting relatives, or generally in their repective homes spending quality time. So, fortunetly/unfortunetly many of us get away for 4 days, or do what any good Canadian would do with 4 days off? Party. Bingo. In the photos at the bottom, you'll see we went to this really cool CAVE bar in Hongdae. You take your shoes off when you go in and sit on pillows on the ground! It's super cool inside. The name is OI BAR.
But, Mallory and I basked in some culture on Monday. We went to Suwon, a city about an hour south of Seoul, still connected to us by the subway. There is a fortress there that protected part of the city in the Dynasty from 100s of years ago. The fortress walls are still up and people live inside of the wall. Pretty cool concept actually.
Enjoy the photos!
Why NOT have the MSN butterfly DANCING in Gangnam area? LOL
OI BAR
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