Seollal: Lunar New Year Celebrations in Korea #2

Let me share with you some interesting facts about Seollal.

Why is 2014 the Year of the Horse?

Every year is represented by one of the 12 zodiac signs, which take the form of animals known as Sibijisin. These signs change with every new year and rotate over a 12 year cycle. For a fun activity at the beginning of each year, people, especially elders, analyze the relationship between their birth year zodiac sign and the new year's sign to find out their fortune. 

The year 2014 is referred to as "Gaponyeon" or "The Year of the Horse." The horse is the seventh in the group of twelve guardian animal deities collectively known as the Sibijisin, which literally means "twelve (sibi) gods of the earth (jisin)." People born in the year of the horse are said to be open-minded and have a cheerful disposition with a good sense of humor. They are likely to achieve success in any activities they undertake. However, they can be somewhat self-centered and must beware of trifling away money on pleasures.

How do Koreans prepare food for the ancestral rites? 

Food during Seollal is taken very seriously. Families spend the entire day before Seollal preparing food to be used as offerings to their ancestors as well as to be served to the family. Many Koreans believe that the taste and appearance of ritual foods determines their ancestors' level of satisfaction and therefore prepare them with great care. Around 20 different types of food are conventionally placed on the ritual table, though the number of dishes varies by region. 

Traditional games:

Seollal is an opportunity for the entire family to engage in fun activities together. The most common activity is yutnori, a board game that involves throwing four wooden sticks. This game is so easy to learn that all family members, regardless of age, can enjoy playing in teams and making fun bets. Besides yutnori, such traditional games as jegi-chagi (footbag-like game), neol-twiggi (see-saw), tuho (arrow toss), and yeon-naligi (kite flying) are also widely played at parks. 
Finally, families wind down by going to see a movie or watching Seollal specials on TV.

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Seollal: Lunar New Year Celebrations in Korea #1

Seollal is coming up
This year, Seollal falls on January 31 of the Gregorian calendar.

What do Korean people celebrate at Seollal?

Seollal (January 1 of the lunar calendar) is one of the most celebrated national holidays in Korea. 
 More than just a holiday to mark the beginning of a new year, Seollal is truly a special occasion for Korean people. Not only is it a time for paying respect to ancestors, but it is also an opportunity to catch up with distant family members who go to get together for this special occasion. 
During Seollal, Koreans traditionally wear hanbok (traditional clothes), perform ancestral rites, play folk games, eat traditional foods and catch up with one another. Read on to discover how Koreans celebrate Seollal.

How to prepare before Seollal?

Seollal demands a lot of preparation, especially in terms of gifts, traveling, and food. As there are many things to purchase for the ancestral rites and gifts, it is usually very crowded in department stores and markets during the days leading up to Seollal. The foods for ancestral rites are prepared with a variety of wild herbs, meat, fish, and fruits all chosen with great attention paid to the quality of shape, color, and freshness. 
As most people are trying to leave big cities to visit their families in their hometown, a recent trend has developed where more parents are visiting their children living in the larger cities as it is more convenient and less crowded. 

Traditional games and ancestral rites at Seollal: 

The morning of Seollal begins with an ancestral rite. Family members, each dressed up for the occasion (traditionally in hanbok, but oftentimes being dressed up is enough), gather in front of the ritual table, and set it with an ancestral tablet and dishes of ritual foods according to the laws of ancestral rites. Once set, the rite begins with deep bows as greetings to the ancestor spirits, and proceeds with offerings and prayers before ending with bidding farewell to the spirits.
The ritual is conducted to express respect and gratitude to one's ancestors and to pray for the family's well-being throughout the year.

Following the rite, everyone eats the ritual food. The main dish of Seollal is tteokguk, a traditional soup made with sliced rice cakes, beef, egg, vegetables or other ingredients. In Korea, eating tteokguk on the New Year's Day is believed to add a year to one's age. People often ask each other, "How many servings of tteokguk have you had?" as a fun way to ask each other's age.

After the meal, the younger generations of the family pay respect to their elders by taking a deep bow called sebae, and by presenting them with gifts. Then, the elders offer their blessings and wishes for a prosperous year. Children often receive sebaetdon (New Year's money) as a Seollal gift. For the remainder of the day, family members play traditional folk games, eat more, and share stories.

K-drama Tour

Korean dramas are rapidly making its way around the world, and K-drama clubs and tours have sprung up like wildfire to feed drama-hungry fanatics, because lets admit it, sometimes just watching the dramas isn't enough. Relive some of your favorite dramas at famous filming locations without having to shell out money for expensive guided tours - though it might be equally fun to travel with a busload of crazed fans that share your passion. 

There's plenty of information out there to create your own itinerary, but here is some suggestion:

Gwanghwamun Sqaure

Gwanghwamun Sqaure is centrally located in Seoul and will be where we start our day.Over the years, Gwanghwamun and Gwanghwamun Square have made a number of appearances in films and dramas. IRIS, a hit 2009 blockbuster drama, probably had the most spectacular scene of all. A realistic war zone was created in the middle of downtown Seoul with high profile stars, like Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-hee, Kim Seung-woo, and Choi Seung-heyon (TOP of Big Bang), 200 extras, 80 cars, and over 4000 bullets and gernades. Though you won't be able to see the action in person, it's pretty cool to think that a scene like that was shot at a location like this. 

Filming of IRIS at Gwanghwamun Square:

Bukchon Hanok Village

Bukchon has become a popular location for filming. Winter Sonata(2002), My Name is Kim Sam-soon(2005), High Kick Through the Roof(2009), Heartstrings(2011), and Indomitable Daughters-in-Law(2011) are just a few of the countless dramas that have been filmed at Bukchon.  This was where actor Daniel Henney stayed at during the filming for My Name is Kim Sam-soon. 'Rakgojae' is a high end traditional guesthouse, so tours of the interior is probably not allowed - though you'd be able to see and experience the place as a guest. The course outlined on the map below will take about 2-3 hours; faster if you skip some of the museums. If you were a fan of Winter Sonata, don't forget to stop by Choongang Middle & High School. If the gates are open, you are allowed to enter the campus and look around. Even if you're not a fan, it's a beautiful campus worth seeing. 
You will find a lot of restaurants and cafes along the path from Bukchon Museum to Seoul Education Museum, so grab a bite to eat for lunch and get ready for the next part of the journey. 

Hongdae

Countless dramas, like Marry Me, Mary!(2010), Style(2009), and My Name is Kim Sam-soon(2005) have been filmed around Hongdae. Hongdae is such a vibrant and unique area that it's not uncommon to see some sort of filming, whether it's a drama, commericial or an independent documentary, going on.  There is so much about Hongdae that I can go on and on about it.  It's just better you go and experience the area for yourself, because words will never be able to capture the essence and charm of Hongdae.

1st Shop of Coffee Prince

The First Shop of Coffee Prince(2007) is probably the most well known K-drama to have been filmed at Hongdae. The set of the 1st shop of Coffee Prince was an actual cafe in Hongdae that had been remodeled as a set for the drama. Reopened after the end of the series, both the exterior and interior have been completely overhauled to actually recreate what was portrayed in the drama. The interior of the cafe is decorated by the painting by Han Yoo-Joo (played by Chae Jung-An) and a number of used props from the drama. Stop by for a cup of coffee and relive the memories of The First Shop of Coffee Prince. To get there, go out of Exit 6 of Hongik Univ. Station, and walk a few hundred meters until you reach a larger road (there should be a small overpass bridge). Take a left, go straight a couple hundred meters then take a right at the first large road. The cafe will be on the left. 

1st shop of Coffee Prince:

What to do now? Get a map and take the metro the first place you are most interested in and discover the drama place^^

Have a nice sightseeing~

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Play in the snow^^

Sledding at Everland

Popular amusement park Everland stays seasonally relevant with its winter offerings, namely its huge sledding hill, the Snow Buster.

Everland provides the slope, the snow and the sleds. 

There are additional conveniences for lazy Seoulites, such as heated lounges selling refreshments and the “tube lift,” which minimizes trudge time. 

“Before the lift, people had to walk back up the slope with their sleds," says Esther Park, a customer service center representative. "Now they can place the sleds on the lift and ride up while on the sled. You can think of it like a type of conveyor built."

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Winter tours 2

Daemyung Vivaldi Park Ski World

Daemyung Vivaldi Park is one of the most popular ski resort near Seoul. 
It is particularly popular due to its wide accommodation options and daytime and nighttime skiing. 

Vivaldi Park Ski World guarantees the highest quality of snow on all of its thirteen slopes, giving everyone from beginners to experts a great skiing experience. Since Vivaldi Resort is well-known for its quality, it is regularly chosen as a venue for professional competitions and ski-demonstrations.

There are a lot of people due to the best skiing season in January.

Make a reservation and enjoy the winter with us~

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Where to eat out?

You don't like Korean cuisine so much? Then let me show you a nice restaurant!

Recommendation for foreign  food.

American Buffet in Seoul

Ashley’s American Grill and Salad (Ashley’s Buffet)

It's a buffet style fusion chain restaurant what you can find in Seoul as well. 

There is no wait, and you can take your seats immediately and headed straight for the buffet lines before sitting down. They have a variety of choices ranging from Korean cuisine, American, Italian and other varieties.

Price is reasonable:

they offer different choices, you can enjoy the salad bar, beverage area, the dessert choices at the end. If you are really hungry and it is around lunchtime on a weekday, give it a try. 

there is one Ashley restaurant near Yeonsinnae station exit no. 3^^

Winter tours 1

Do you like skiing? 

There are amazing winter tours for you to enjoy Korea during the winter season~ 

Major ski resorts opened their doors, welcoming skiers and boarders. The most of Korea’s resorts are located in the Gangwon-do region, which receives the earliest and the largest amount of snow, but there are also ski resorts in the Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Jeolla regions that are very attractive to winter sports fans.

In Pencil 5, we offer a various kind of winter tours, even if you do not like skiing,you can discover the drama shooting spots or enjoy the walking in the mountain area.

Make a reservation and enjoy the winter with us~

www.hostelseoul.net

Email : pencil5hostel@gmail.com 

Kakaotalk ID or Line ID: pencilhostel 

QQ ID : 1587839500

We Chat ID : pencil5hostel