Solar Solar New Year's-January 1st

Independence Movement Day- March 1

Children's Day- May 5

Memorial Day- June 6

Liberation Day- August 15

Foundation Day- October 3

Christmas Day-December 25

Lunar New Year's (Seol-nal)- 1st day of 1st lunar month, plus the day before and after

Buddha's Birthday (Seokka Tanshin-il)- 8th day of 4th lunar month

Harvest Moon Festival (Chuesok)- 14-16th days of 8th lunar month

Memorial Days (no longer holidays) Solar New Year's (second day)-January 2nd

Arbor Day- April 5

Constitution Day- July 17

Our Korea holidays are different from those offered by most other companies because:

*We are one of the leading tour operators in the UK specialising in holidays and tours to Korea. *We have a large variety of tours available and the knowledge and experience to create tailor-made requests and tours across the whole of Korea and the Far East. *Our quality hotels are all situated in great locations, regularly inspected and rated highly by our travellers *All our staff have either lived or travelled extensively to the countries we promote and are all passionate about the Far East, so you can speak directly with the actual specialist who has planned the tour. *We offer full ATOL protections for your peace of mind. In the past, due to a lack of medical information, Korea's seasonal temperature differences, and many childhood related diseases, the death rate for children was extremely high. Many children died before their first birthday. After the age of one year, the survival rate steeply increased, making this milestone a very happy one for the child's parents. It has also been a custom to celebrate a child's 100 day birthday (baek-il) , but in most areas this birthday is less important than the Tol and any celebrations are smaller in scale. Tol has two meanings in Korean. The most common meaning is a child's first birthday. It can also be used as a generic description for birthdays: Chut-tol (first birthday), Du-tol (second birthday), Seo-tol (third birthday), etc. Traditional Tol Celebration

The traditional celebration had four major components:1) Praying and giving thanks

2) Making and wearing the birthday clothes

3) Preparing the table and performing the Toljabee

4) Sharing the food with guests and neighborsIn modern times, due to the improvements in medicine, the influence of Western culture, and modern industrialization, the Shamanistic reasons for the Tol celebration have been reduced. However, the event is still celebrated as a time of congratulations for the parents and family.

In the modern Tol, taking picture is an important part of the event. As many Korean homes are very small, many families rent a room in a banquet hall. The modern celebration includes the child's parents greeting guests, lighting candles on a birthday cake, the Toljabee event, and a toast.

Other Celebrations

Saei-rye (21-day Celebration)

This event involved little ceremony. The baby and mother were still recovering from birth, so people were not allowed to see them. However, close family members met and prayed for the healthy recovery of the baby's mohter on this day.

Baek-il (100-day Celebration)

Similar to the Tol, the Baek-il event has 2 aspects. First, family members give thanks to Samsin (the three gods who take care of the baby's life while growing up). Second, they pray for jae-ak (wealth), longevity, and cho-bok (original luck). The food differed from the extensive table prepared for the Tol, mostly comprising 4 types of Korean foods: baekseogi (for longevity, representing cleanliness and freshness), susupo-ttteok (to prohibit bad things), injeolmi (for patience), and songpyeon (for thought). Islamic Cultural Festival

SeongbukGlobalVillageCenter will hold an Islamic Cultural Festival to introduce various Islamic cultures for both Koreans and foreigners. Please enjoy and explore Islamic foods and specialities at the Islamic Cultural Festival.

Seoul International Fireworks Festival 2012Lights, Action and Fire! The 10th annual fireworks festival will be blazing the night skies above Yeouido Hangang Park within closevicinity of the 63 Building. Early visitors can enjoy pre-fireworks events themed with solar power and a concert. This year's firework event has participating teams fromItaly, China, United States of America and the Republic of Korea

Korea's long history, agrarian culture, and mix of religions provide a multitude of different festivals and holidays throughout the year. Some are held according to the Lunar Calendar, some are more regional than others, but most are very colorful and have specific customs and unique characteristics. Life in Korea explores the major Korean festivals and holidays and highlights the main meanings and customs.

Jeoungwol is the month that starts off the New Year. During this period, people plan the year ahead of them and read their fortunes for the year. The Lunar Jeoungwol fortnight, meaning the biggest boreum, is at the 15th of the first lunar month

Dongje Although there are differences within rural communities, joint proposals designate midnight of the 15th of first lunar month as the date to celebrate Dongje. Households prepare memorial service fees by collecting funds and selecting a chaste individual to be the official at rites to pray for abundant productivity and for the peace of the village. Juldarigi Juldarigi, also known as Tug of War, is a game that is played to pray for abundant productivity. Also called Juldangigi, Juldarigi is a traditional game that has been passed down from generation to generation. After making the Amjul and the Sutjul, which symbolizes the two sexes, teams are formed by village or district. According to tradition, the Amjul must win to have a year of abundance.

Jisinbalgi Jisinbalgi is another tradition to pray for abundance. A group with musical instruments visits each house to pray for a year of abundance

Buseureom Buseureom is a personal ceremony where people wake up early on Daeboreum day and chew on chestnuts, walnuts, and peanuts to ask for a year without boils. Also during this day, people call on each other and say 'buy my heat.' It is believed that by doing this, people will not suffer from heat that year. Dalmaji Dalmaji implies climbing up a high place early in the evening to watch the moon. They say that luck will follow the person who sees the moon first. People also tell their fortunes for the year by watching the shape, size, height, and surge of the moon.

he following national holidays are observed by everyone in Korea, including the schools we work with. Some holidays are based on the lunar calendar and change dates every year, and some are based on the solar (Western) calendar and are on the same day every year. Most schools offer a full week of vacation at the end of July and the days between Christmas and New Year's. Holidays are always paid in full (i.e. no deduction from regular salary is made). Here is a brief explanation of Korean holidays. The dates on which they fall in 2006 follows.

New Year's Day (January 1)

Most Koreans celebrate both Western New Year and Lunar New Year. Koreans count themselves one year older on January 1, not their actual birthdays. Note that when a baby is born in Korea, it is automatically "one year old." The next January 1, the baby is "two years old." Thus, Koreans are usually between one and two years younger than they count themselves as. This can be important when dealing with younger children. If you're told you're going to be teaching five-year olds, double check if this is 'Korean age' (i.e. three and four year olds) or 'Western age'. All ages used on this site are 'Western'.

Seollal, or Lunar New Year (Varies from late January to late February)

This is the second most important holiday in Korea. Families generally reunite (which means book ahead if you want to go anywhere). This is the most prominent occasion on which Koreans honor their ancestors and older living relatives. Young people usually receive gifts of cash (sometimes quite sizeable) in exchange for correctly executing a traditional bow in front of elders; the bow for girls is particularly difficult and many-a-teenage-girl ends up with a bruised tailbone, but usually still gets her red envelope. Normally, red envelopes are used for gifts of cash and white envelopes are used for cash payment payment.

Yut-Nori (Yut Game)

This traditional Korean game is often played on Korean holidays, especially at lunar New Year. The game is played on a board on which 29 circles are drawn, and four sticks (about 20cm long), cut in half lengthwise, called "yut," are thrown into the air to advance one's markers to the finish circle. "Mo" is upturning no stick (five moves); "yut," is when all four sticks are turned up (four moves); "gol," is three upturned sticks (three moves); "gei," two sticks (two moves); "to," one stick (one move). These five moves were possibly named after livestock. "Do" refers to a pig; "kei," a dog; "kol," sheep; "yut," a cow; "mo," a horse. The game is normally played on the floor or the ground and the sticks are thrown with a flick of one wrist. The result of each throw is normally shouted out, especially for "YUT!" and "MO!".

The game is simple, yet compelling; I learned it with a friend in Korea and still play it now, here in Canada, with my nephew. I also made many different Yut boards, using the 29 markers on the board for different English vocabulary or grammar questions and then playing the game with children in class sometimes. Watch the boys when they are losing (especially to girls) They are holding four child-sized weapons and frustration can get the better of them. Yut sets (sticks, board, markers, and rules in English) can be had for around $5 at any store selling games or amusements in Korea.

Samil Independence Movement Day (March 1)

This day marks the beginning of the independence movement against the Japanese during their colonial rule. On this day in 1919, leaders of social and religious circles gathered at a park in central Seoul and declared Korea's independence from Japan, which had annexed Korea with tacit U.S. approval, in 1910. In recent years it has come to be a holiday that celebrates (and asserts) Korea's independence from all foreign powers, including the U.S. This is the one day of the year that American and Japanese nationals may want to lay low.

Buddha's Birthday (Varies in April or May)

Solemn rituals are held at Buddhist temples across the country. The day's festivities reach their climax when monks and laymen march through city streets with beautiful paper lanterns. This holiday is always one working day and is fixed according to the lunar calendar (no long weekends of convenience).

Children's Day (May 5)

This is an official holiday. Children receive gifts from parents and are taken on family outings.

Parents' Day (May 8)

This is not an official holiday; however, most families observe it with children giving parents carnations and letters of appreciation. Do not expect a day off work.

Teacher's Day (May 15)

Ironically, this day is not a holiday for most teachers in Korea. However, you can expect to be showered with gifts from parents; some may be surprisingly substantial.

Constitution Day (July 17)

This day celebrates the establishment of the first Korean constitution on July 17, 1948. The Republic of Korea (South Korea) was officially established about a month later.

Liberation Day (August 15)

Japan surrendered to the United States on this day in 1945. It is celebrated by Koreans as the official end to Japanese colonial rule and the beginning of the modern era in Korea.

Chuseok (Varies, but usually in September)

This is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month on the lunar calendar. The full moon on this day is what Westerners sometimes refer to as a "harvest moon." At Chuseok and Lunar New Years, it is common for Koreans to wear traditional clothing, called Hanbok. This is especially true for the elderly and for children. On Chuseok day, the moon appears larger than usual and is often orange in color in the Northern Hemisphere. Celebrated in many Asian countries that follow the lunar calendar, this is the biggest holiday of the year in Korea. The day before, and sometimes the day after, Chuseok are official holidays as well. Almost all Koreans will make their way to their traditional family homes for the holiday. Plan any travel WELL ahead. Koreans often refer to this holiday as "Korean Thanksgiving" in English.