Starting with New Year’s Day, there will be a total of 15 national holidays this year. Already we had New Year’s Day (Jan. 1), the Lunar New Year holidays (Feb. 9-11) and Independence Movement Day (March 1). However, there are still 8 more national holidays left. There are Children’s Day on May 5, the Buddha’s Birthday on May 17 (April 8 on the lunar calendar) and Memorial Day on June 6. The holidays in the latter half of the year are National Liberation Day on Aug. 15, National Foundation Day on Oct. 3, and The Korean Alphabet Day for Hangeul on Oct. 9. The Chuseok holiday is in September and Christmas is in December. In this issue, Review covers the meaning and origins of national holidays in Korea.

Independence Movement Day
March 1, 1919 is a monumental day for Korea. On that day, dozens of nationalists in Korea convened and declared Korean independence after being occupied by Japan for 9 years. After the declaration of independence in Tabgol Park in Jongro, Seoul, the Korean Independence Movement spread out throughout the whole country.

Children’s Day (May 5)
For children in Korea, May 5th holds the same excitement of the birthday or Christmas day. On that day, parents dress up their little princes and princesses and take them to amusement parks, zoos, or cinema for a full day of fun and games. Children’s Day was started by a juvenile author Bang Jung-Hwan. Parents and elders dedicate that day to show love and care for children since the children represent the nation’s future.

Buddha’s Birthday (May 17)
The annual Lotus Lantern Festival, held in honor of Buddha’s birthday, will be celebrated on May 17th this year. That day is the 8th day of the 4th lunar month which is Buddha’s Birthday. Elaborate, solemn rituals are held at many Buddhist temples across the country and lanterns are hung in the temples throughout Korea.

Memorial Day (June 6)
Memorial Day is set aside to honor the soldiers and civilians who have sacrificed their lives for the country. People commemorate the date by visiting National Cemetery in Seoul where honorable people are laid to rest. Each grave is specially decorated with a tiny national flag of Korea and flowers, foods, and drinks are also offered. The moment of silence prayers is marked by sirens throughout the country. During Memorial Day, people raise Korean national flags at half staff in front of their houses.

Liberation Day (August 15)
The 15th of August is one of the most important days in Korea. This day commemorates Japanese surrender to the Allied Force and the resulting liberation of Korea in 1945. On that day, the President of Korea attends a formal ceremony at the Independence Hall of Korea. People are suggested to raise the Korean National Flag. Since Korean peninsula had been ruled by Japan for more than 36 years, Korea has national holidays like Independence Movement day and Memorial Day.

Chuseok (September 18 to 20)
Chuseok is one of the year’s most important and biggest traditional holidays in Korea. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar calendar. Chuseok is equivalent to Thanksgiving Day in Korea. Many Koreans believe that Chuseok is originated from the ancient harvest festivals where people of the ancient societies performed a traditional ceremony to their ancestors, offered harvests as gratitude and prayed for another good year of harvest in the following year. Same as Seollal, families get together and appreciate the meaning of family and have an enjoyable time with siblings and elders. Also they pay respect to their ancestors by visiting their graves and trimming the areas around the graves. Koreans have traditional foods such as Songpyoen on that day. It is a rice cake in a semicircular shape.

National Foundation Day (October 3)
October 3 is called ‘Gaecheonjeol’ which means the ‘day of the opening heaven’. Gaecheonjeol is the national holiday to commemorate the foundation of Gojoseon by Dangun Wangoem. Gojosoen is the name of the first Korean kingdom in B.C 2333.

Hanguel Day (October 9)
This day is designated to commemorate the creation of Hangeul by King Sejong in 1446. The Hanguel Day was approved to be in the list of national holidays in 2013. This move comes after the government had previously excluded it from the list of holidays in 1991. Until then, the day had been a national holiday for 42 years. The inclusion of Hangeul Day in the list of national holidays reflects the huge interest in Hangeul around the world, influenced by ‘Korean wave’, or Hanlyu’. The popularity of Korean pop music (K-pop), movies and dramas worldwide, accompanied by Korea’s growing economic power, has led to rising  demand for learning the Korean language. Considering the growing interest in this unique and distinctive writing system, Google has added Hangeul Day to the list of holidays and memorable days honored with creative logos.