ICHCAP

Celebration of the new year is regarded as one of the preeminent holidays within cultures worldwide, and in Korean culture the festivities of the first month of the lunar year hold great significance. One such festivity is Jeongwol Daeboreum, which is the day of the first full moon of the Lunar Year – this year falling on Sunday, February 5th. This festivity carries equal importance, albeit overshadowed, with Seollal and Chuseok in Korea dating back centuries having its origin recognized in Sillabongi – a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The full moon has been a symbol of fortune in Korea’s historical agrarian society. It is a day of wishing to the moon for a prosperous year in both aspects of a plentiful harvest as well as for the well-being of family and community. Throughout the Korean peninsula people gather to celebrate the year’s first full moon by engaging in a variety of performances, games, and rituals.

One such performance is what Koreans call Pungmulnori, “stepping on the spirit of the Earth.” Historically, farmers would organize a group of people to walk around the village, singing and playing instruments as a ritual to expel misfortune and wish for a rich year. Pungmulnori is a mesmerizing performance rooted in the collective farming culture that also accompanies shamanistic rituals, and mask dances. Scholars often label this tradition as Nongak, “farmer’s music”, which since the 1980s has been recognized as an important intangible cultural heritage of South Korea.

Bureom is a tradition of eating hard nuts, a variety of peanuts, walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, and gingko nuts. The name of bureom is a homonym in Korean since it also means skin boils which was a common illness in historic times. Due to the harsh living conditions historically, families encouraged children to eat nutrient-rich nuts when the new year arrived to protect from illness. In modern times the practice remains mostly by smashing nuts for the symbolic purposes of good health. Another traditional delicacy offered to eat during this festival is called ogokbap, “five grain rice,” as well as yakbap, “medicinal rice.” These rice dishes are traditionally accompanied with side dishes of namul, “dried/boiled vegetables.” According to customs, eating boiled and dried namul helps stimulate appetites lost during winter.

Jwibulnori, which translates to “mouse fire game,” is a traditional Korean game where people sing, dance, and swing lanterns lit on fire, which creates streaks of circular lights. This game connects to Korea’s agrarian history and the necessity of burning farmlands to exterminate rats, mice, harmful insects, and for the remaining ashes to act as fertilizer before starting the upcoming harvest season. Another symbolic purpose of this game is to wish for good health.

As the celebrations progress during Jeongwol Daeboreum, another important element of this festivity is Sowonnamu, “wish trees.” Traditionally people would write poems, prayers, and wishes onto pieces of paper and tie them to trees during the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. Participants of this tradition can attach their wishes to the large sheaves of straw and pine needles that resemble small huts. This ritual is called Daljib Taeugi, “moon house burning.” It was customary to wait until the full moon rose to set the sheaves on fire to ward off evil spirits. If the sheaf burned well, it would signify an abundant year.

Jeongwol Daeboreum is truly a unique cultural heritage of South Korea that heavily focuses on the communal celebration which sets it apart from the other major holidays. Although the concept and notion of village community has faded over the generations, these folk games, rituals, and performances continue to be performed in communities across the Korean peninsula in hopes of a better future while promoting unity and harmony. Some regions across Korea have nuances in celebrations during this festivity; however, all remain rooted with similar rituals and historical origin which further reinforces the truly unique intangible cultural heritage of Jeongwol Daeboreum. This year’s celebration truly marks a rejuvenation of hope for health and prosperity post pandemic in South Korea.