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Holidays in Korea
Standard contracts usually offer 10 days of paid vacation per year, one week in the winter and one week in the summer. In addition to that vacation time, you will receive about 9-14 Korean national holidays per year (the number fluctuates because if it falls on a weekend, the holiday is not carried over to the following Monday like it is in North America).
The Korean holidays throughout the year are:
New Year’s Day (January 1st): Koreans celebrate both Western New Year’s and Lunar New Year. On January 1st Koreans count themselves one year older, instead of on their actual birthday. Most people in Korea spend this day nursing their hangover. No Polar Bear swims like in Canada though.
Lunar New Year (Late January or Early February): One of the most important holidays of the year is Lunar New Year, referred to as “Sollal” in Korean. It is a time when most of the country is on the go, heading to visit their families. It’s important if you want to travel during this holiday to plan ahead. Young people receive money for performing the traditional New Year’s bow for their relatives to show respect. This holiday usually takes place over three days.
Samil Independence Movement Day (March 1st): A holiday which marks the anniversary of the 1919 independence movement against the Japanese during their colonial rule.
Buddha’s birthday (In April or May): The celebration of Buddha’s birthday occurs on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month (usually late April or early May). Buddhist monks adorn their temples with colorful lanterns. This is a great time to take pictures at the Buddhist temples as the colors are beautiful. There is also a large Buddhist parade in the city that is worth attending and a festival in Insadong where you can participate in activities like making your own paper lantern.
Arbor Day (April 5th): As a result of the deforestation from the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean war, the government designated April 5th as Arbor Day and promoted it as a time for citizens to go green and plant a tree. Note that this is no longer an official holiday, although some people do still plant trees on this day.
Children’s Day (May 5th): A holiday where children are the focus. Children receive gifts from parents and are taken to places like Everland, Children’s Grand Park or Lotte World.
Parent’s Day (May 8th): While this is not an actual holiday, it is a day where children show appreciation for their parents with presents of flowers (usually carnations) and written letters.
Teacher’s Day (May 15th): While this is not a holiday for teachers in Korea (they still actually have to work on teacher’s day), it is a day where teachers receive gifts from the parents of their students to show appreciation for their work. Many of the gifts are quite significant and teachers are usually spoiled on this day.
Memorial Day (June 6th): This holiday is to remember and honor those who died in defense of the country. Ceremonies are held throughout the country at cemeteries.
Constitution Day (July 17th): This holiday is held to mark the day when the first Korean constitution was proclaimed (July 17th, 1948). The Republic of Korea was officially established about a month later.
Liberation Day (August 15th): August 15th, 1945 marks the date of the official surrender of Japan to the Allied Forces. With the Japanese surrender, the 35-year old colonial rule of Korea came to an end.
Chuseok (usually late September/early October): Probably the most important holiday of the year, Chuseok (the harvest moon festival), is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month on the lunar calendar. On Chuseok, like Lunar New Year, Koreans dress up in their traditional Hanbok and visit their relatives. It is a time when most of the country is on the move going back to their hometowns. If you plan to travel during this holiday, it is best to plan well ahead. If you get invited to a Korean home for Chuseok, it would be a good chance for you to experience some of the traditions for yourself. Lots of food is prepared for this holiday (a full day is spent on cooking). Koreans often refer to this holiday as “Korean Thanksgiving” in English. This holiday normally takes place over three days.
National Foundation Day (October 3rd): This holiday is to celebrate the day when Dangun, the mythical first Korean, founded the Korean nation about 4000 years ago. You should ask a Korean to tell you the full story as it is quite interesting.
Christmas (December 25th): Christmas is an official holiday and more than half of the Korean population declares Christianity as their religion. This is less of a family holiday and more of a time when young people or young couples get together. Usually the foreign teachers have Christmas parties and get-togethers. You can get all kinds of Christmas decorations (I decorated my home with over 500 lights), but Christmas decorating is not as big in Korea as it is in the West. You can also have a Christmas tree, although it will be an artificial one (remember Arbor Day). All of the department stores have fake trees ranging from about two feet tall to about 10 feet tall.
