By Franchesca Seong

Junior Editor, GSIS Newsletter

The holiday season in Korea offers a mix of familiar festivities and unique traditions. From romantic Christmas celebrations and festive cakes to the anticipation of Seollal in the new year, Korea’s approach to the holidays is unlike the West. Learn more about how Korea celebrates the holidays and discover how lights, markets, and cherished customs bring warmth to winter in Korea.

While Christmas Day is considered a public holiday in Korea, it is not celebrated like in the West. You can wander the streets of Seoul and see the holiday lights, Christmas ornaments, and decorations and hear all types of holiday carols in every cafe and mall. However, Christmas is not an occasion to gather the family as Korean people do on Seollal or Chuseok. Christmas is often celebrated between couples, like Valentine’s Day, or is an excuse to gather friends to party because most people have the day off. 

There are, of course, religious people who come to celebrate Christmas in worship in Korea, but most people are gathered at the ice rinks set up around Seoul and the Christmas markets at malls. Amusement parks also hold special Christmas events!

The concept of Christmas cake is also prevalent in Korea. Rather than a fruitcake or Christmas pudding, a festively decorated fresh whipping cream cake or chocolate is often reserved in advance and is enjoyed by couples, families, and friends. 

Unfortunately, other December holidays like Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or Boxing Day are not celebrated widely in Korea. Still, if you go to international districts in Korea, like Itaewon, it is more common to see the celebration of such holidays. 

Moving into the new year, January 1st is also celebrated as a public holiday in Korea, but similarly to Christmas it is also not celebrated the same as it is in the West. Instead, Koreans follow the lunar calendar to celebrate the new year and wait until Seollal. Seollal in 2025 will be celebrated on January 29th, which will be the year of the snake. There will soon be imagery of the snake all around Korea to celebrate the lunar new year. 

Though the Korean age system has been abolished, traditionally, one would age one year on Seollal. However, if you did not have tteokguk (rice cake soup) on Seollal, you would not become one year older. Tteokguk will also replace the rice that is on the table during ancestral rites on Chuseok. However, Korean people will also be seen enjoying tteokguk on January 1st as well to bring in the new year. The disc-shaped rice cakes used for tteokguk are supposed to represent coins that symbolize a wish for upcoming prosperity and the white broth of the soup represents a clean fresh start to the year. 

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday cheer in Korea! Maybe you’ll consider having tteokguk in the new year! 

Image right: Nesto Cafe