11 Feb 2010, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Gyeonggi, Historic Korea, Jeolla, Seoul, 7 Comments

Celebrating Seollal in Seoul

(Photo from the Seoul Tourism Organization).

Seollal (설날), or the lunar New Year, is the traditional Korean calendar’s most important holiday, along with the autumn harvest festival, Chuseok. Although its origins are unclear, many say the rituals go back to the 6th century. It was during ancient Korea’s Three Kingdoms period when the lunar calendar was first adopted. Today, several Asian countries, including China, Mongolia and Vietnam, all celebrate the lunar New Year holiday.

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01 Oct 2009, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Food & Drink, Gyeonggi, Seoul, 3 Comments

Happy Chuseok 2009!

The onset of autumn each year in Seoul often means an uncharacteristic calm and quiet in the city. No, it’s not that over 10 million residents decide to slow down to watch the leaves change. It’s because late September or early October marks Chuseok (추석), Korea’s annual thanksgiving holiday that’s among the most important dates on the Korean calendar.

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