Daeboreum
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For most of the nations, the New Year celebrations are over once the New Year’s Day is over. However the celebration of new beginnings continues in Korea on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month when Daeboreum is celebrated. In 2016 Daeboreum fell on February 22nd of the Gregorian calendar.
Daeboreum literally translates to “the Great Full Moon” as it celebrates the rising of the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. Traditionally Daeboreum is a time of preparation for the upcoming months and to pray for a blessing-filled year. Many of the customs of Daeboreum center around the wishing of good health and a plentiful harvest, including “jwibulnori,” where rice fields and vegetable gardens are burned in order to kill insect pests and to ease cultivation for the coming season. “Sajanori” is a more festive tradition where men form a parade wearing lion masks. Perhaps the most celebrated tradition is “dalmaji,” where people climb mountains to watch the rising of the first full moon of the year. Another interesting ritual includes “deowipalgi,” which involves visiting a friend or a family member and calling his or her name before sunrise. If they respond they are then told, “내 더위 사가라”(which means “Buy my heat” and sounds like “nae deowi sagara”). The buyer is then responsible for absorbing all the heat the seller would have otherwise received in the coming summer.
In addition the most representative food practice of Daeboreum is to crack nuts with one’s teeth, as it is believed that this practice will keep one’s teeth healthy for a year. People eat “ogokbap” which is a mix of five ingredients that represents the five elements of nature by their resembling colors, and having “namul” fends off extreme heat and help people to remain healthy throughout the remaining summer. The individual rituals also include eating “yakbap” and drinking “gwibalgisul” that increases one’s chances of hearing good news throughout the year.
Yet the tradition of Daeboreum is slowly disappearing with the inflow of western cultures and therefore is not being well practiced. Although children have fun playing “jwibulnori” and “deowipalgi,” it is doubtful whether the tradition will continue while they do not really grasp the reason why they are performing such. Furthermore, as of 2014, Daeboreum fell on February 14th and thus was overshadowed by St. Valentine’s Day. Among younger generations in particular, St. Valentine’s Day had increasingly replaced Daeboreum as the biggest event in February.
Daeboreum bears an immense significance as it provides an opportunity for individuals to rediscover our traditions and to keep in contact with our roots. Rapid globalization and westernization have greatly led our lives to be convenient, nevertheless it would be important for us to keep our cultural traditions alive.