Traditional South Korea Festivals!

Korean Culture

In society today, the people of Korea follow the Gregorian calendar.  However, where traditional festivals are concerned that are rooted in Korean culture, they follow the lunar calendar for these annual events.  Banks and offices typically close when these events fall on public holidays but many other venues such as amusement parks, museums, palaces, and the majority of restaurants open for business.  With the exception of the months of April and November, there are events and festivals that occur in every one of the calendar months including the following:

Traditional Festivals

January 1^st – Solar New Year

February – Seollal (Lunar New Year-3 days)

March 1^st – Independence Movement Day

May 1^st – Labour Day

May 5^th – Children’s Day

May 24^th – Buddha’s Birthday 

                (where Lantern Festival held)

June 6^th – Memorial Day

July 17^th – Constitution Day

August 15^th – Liberation Day

September – Chuseok (3 days)

October 3^rd – Foundation Day

December 25^th – Christmas

As a general rules, the festivals that follow the Gregorian calendar during the year occur on the same day every year.  Conversely, those that follow the lunar calendar will fall on different dates each year. These festivals made Korea the country that rich with culture! Please remember that, these are just the festivals that will celebrate in Korea, there are hundred more of festivals in South Korea, like Mud Festival during the summer, Ginseng Festival, Music Wave Festival, Asia Song Festival, Dream Concert Festival, Gyeongju Liquor & Rice Cake Festival, Hot Balloon Festival, International Film Festival and many more!

The Scene of autumn in South Korea 

There are plenty of festivals through out the year but what about the best time to visit Korea then? Well, the climate in South Korea goes from one extreme to the other with hot humid summers and dry, bitterly cold winters.  Typically, the best time to visit the country is in the fall months of September, October, and November as the climate is mild to slightly cooling off periods occurring in the last month of the three.  The skies are a brilliant shade of blue while the autumn colours are nothing short of spectacular!

This provides the visitor with some excellent photographic opportunities yet you can e-mail pictures to family members that you can have printed at home. Using one of the numerous Jessop’s discount vouchers or Jessop’s Discount codes that you can find online you might be able to save some money on all the photographs that you will have to print! Right?

Well, if you able to spare sometime in this period, please do not hesitate to visit Korea! You will never regret!  

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Coming up event !! Gyeongju Liquor and Rice Cake Festival 2010 !!

This year marks the 13th anniversary of the ever-popular ‘Gyeongju Liquor and Rice Cake Festival,’ held in the Gyeongju region at Hwangseong Park and the nearby region in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. 

The festival (held this year from April 17th to 22nd) draws large numbers of tourists each year with its diversity of high quality programs. It has been so popular in previous years, that this year the ‘Gyeongju Liquor and Rice Cake Festival 2010’ earned a spot on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s official list of ‘2010 Culture &Tour Festivals.’ 

During the festival period, the exhibition centers will present displays on the production method of traditional liquors, traditional rice cake vs. rice cake variations, and the liquors of the 

Three Kingdoms – Goguryeo (37 BC - 668 AD), Baekje (18 BC - 660 AD) and Silla (57 BC - 935 AD). Visitors can even make their own rice cakes, pound large slabs of rice cake with a mallet, or grill Garae Tteok (가래떡, a white, long plain rice cake). 

There are endless programs available for visitors while they are exploring the area’s exciting culinary traditions, including: a liquor car shaped like a huge traditional liquor bottle, a photo festival, OX Quiz Show based on the narrative legends of the Gyeongju region, and more. Throughout the festival period, visitors can also stop by open-run events such as Gilnori (street performances), and other stage performances. 

This year, the list of scheduled events has been expanded to include the Queen Seondeok Beauty Pageant and an even bigger showcase of Korean traditional liquor, including those from other regions in addition to Gyeongju’s specialties. There will even be a ‘sampling corner,’ where visitors can taste some of the side dishes/snacks (for example, Korean beef) that are traditionally served alongside these famous liquors. While you’re sipping your drink, take a look at the traditional market and its amazing array of quality folk items. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the pamphlet titled ‘Liquor and Rice Cakes: 100 Times the Fun,’ handed out free to visitors of the festival.

As for more information please check here or about previous year summary here .

Feel free to leave some comments and it will be answer within 24 hour.

Thank you. ^_^

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Coming Up Event!! 2010 Lotus Lantern Making Festival in Korea !!

"Please attain Buddha-hood in your next lifetime by lighting a lantern in this life"


The lantern has the meaning of brightening and praying for the world. You can experience the making of a eight-sided lantern and pray for your wishes. Lotus lantern making will be held right next to the Buddhist Street Festival that will offer many, many more cultural experiences.

Please take the lantern you made with you and join the Grand Lantern Parade in that evening which starts at 7pm. at Tapgol Park in Jongro 3-ga. It will be a wonderful experience of Korea's essential spiritual tradition.

The Event will start on 12:00pm. Sunday, 16 May 2010 In front of Jo-Gye Temple (Jo-Gye Temple Street).

You locate the event easily by Subway No.3 (Orange Line) > An-guk station > Exit #6 > Way to Jo-Gye Temple
No.1 (Blue Line) > Jong-gak station > Exit #2 > Way to Jo-Gye Temple or click here for the map.

So, what are you waiting for? please apply now by send attached application form until Wed. 5 May via E-mail to us ( the application form can be obtain from the link below ).

Ask your friends and Come along and Enjoy the Festival, everything that You need is prepared and is Free of Charge!

For more information please visit the homepage or here or email to ipogyo@buddhism.or.kr

May You Be Enlightened!

Feel free to leave some comments and I will answer it within 24 hour... 


Thank you ^_^ 

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Korean Food!!

This is the essay that I wrote for Daejeon University news paper club and they have published it in the Daejeon University news paper. I was lucky to be asked by a Korean girl to write it. Anyway, here is the essay. Feel free to leave some comments. ; )

"

Hi all, I am Tan Yih Liang and my nick name is LeX. This is my first time in Korea as well as my first time tasting various kinds of Korean food. Well, I will tell you all what I feel about Korean food in this article. I will share with you my thoughts on KImchi, Samgyeopsal BBQ, Dteokbokki, and Samgyetang.

Actually, I already knew kimchi back in my home country, Malaysia and it’s the representative fermented dish of Korea. Even though I knew it, I never tried it before. The first time I tried it was during my 1^st day in Korea and it was on the way to Daejeon University. Our bus stopped by at a food court and all of us (Asean Student exchange) had dinner. During that time I was very excited to try it out, but when the KimChi touched my lips, I realized that it was cold!! And then I tasted it. It was spicy and sour. Honestly, I did not like it at all and the main reason is, it was cold!! In my country I never ate any cold dish for meal that’s why I disliked it so much. But after a month in Korea, I started to like it because the cafeteria serves Kimchi every meal and never misses it once!! No choice!! Have to taste it. Now I almost got used to it!! Anway just want to say “chalmogosimnida” to all the cafereria officers. 

As for Samgyeopsal BBQ, I tasted it during my 1^st time to walk around Daejeon City. I was surprised that the restaurant served us with raw slices of pork belly meat that we grilled all by ourselves alongside with some side dishes. It was very interesting!! There were few side dishes included, sweet Corn, lettuce leaf, KIMCHI, onion with soya bean paste, salad and so on. The meat tasted great and I loved it very much!! But actually there is a proper way to taste Samgyeopsal, usually the meat is placed inside a lettuce leaf with some cooked rice, a paste made out of chili and soybean and sometimes served with large green chilies and slices of garlic, as well as a spring onion salad. Wrap it all up and place into mouth!! And WOW!! It tastes ultra best!! All this is typically accompanied with soju. Anyway, even though we have finished all the meat, some part of my stomach obviously weren’t satisfied yet!! And we plan go to eat it again next week!! OH NO, now I suddenly feel so hungry! After finishing this article I’m going to eat Samgyeopsal!! 

Next, Dteokbokki is the Korean snack that can be easily found around the street. This consists of broiled sliced rice cake, meat, eggs, and seasoning. This Dteokbokki is served with red & orange color sauce. Actually the 1^st time I tasted it in Korea was when I was with my friends on the way to Hana Bank and we suddenly saw several stalls with red cover. Those stalls really attracted us and we went to check it out. The shape of the rice cake looked quite weird for us. But after tasting it with the egg, fish meat and the red & orange color sauce, it tasted really good and we all loved it. Since then, almost every time we go out, we do not miss to eat Dteokbokki. It seems like it became a necessity for all of us to eat when we go out.

Lastly, Samgyetang!! When I think about it, 1^st thing that appears on my mind is an expensive Korean Ginseng. Actually, Samgyetang is a Korean soup with whole young chicken, glutinous rice and Korean Ginseng. The soup smelled like ginseng and it came with a whole chicken. The meat of the chicken is very soft and very comfortable to chew and usually after a bite of the chicken, drink some soup and eat a spoon or two of glutinous rice and ginseng. It tasted like when I’m in love with somebody, really romantic!! During that time, I went with three other girls. Luckily, they all did not manage to finish their chicken since it was a whole chicken. You know how girls are and so they gave it to me and I felt even more romantic and happier!! ARRRRR!! I thanked them very much!! 

I’m almost 1 and a half month in Korea, now. I feel like all the Korean dishes that I tasted before were really interesting and tasty. I cannot wait to taste more!! Oh!! My stomach keeps knocking!! I need to go and have some dinner with all those meals that I have mentioned above!! Anyway thanks for reading!! See you soon!! 

"

Lonely Planet Blogsherpa Travel Carnival: Food around the world


Feel free to leave some comments. ; ) 

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