[2024] Korean Lunar New Year, New Year’s Culture, Traditions, Food, and Gifts by Country

 

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Seollal (Seollal), along with Chuseok, is a representative Korean holiday and falls on January 1st of the lunar calendar. In modern Korea, the New Year is mostly celebrated on New Year's Day, which is January 1st in the solar calendar, and the traditional holiday celebration, when relatives meet, is celebrated on the Lunar New Year. On New Year's Day, it is a unique custom of the Korean people to hold ancestral rites for ancestors and bow to relatives and neighbors. It is said that if you sleep on New Year's Eve, your eyebrows will turn white, so some people stay up all night. After performing the ancestral rites and bowing, people enjoyed the day by playing various folk games such as yutnori, neolttwigi, and kite flying.

  On Lunar New Year's Day, we cook and eat various foods and serve them to guests who come to worship, and we always serve rice cake soup. The non-glutinous rice soaked in water is ground, mixed with a certain amount of water, kneaded, steamed, pulled out into long pieces, and then cut diagonally into tteokguk rice cakes. It is said that making tteokguk using white rice cakes on New Year's Day originated from the idea of sun worship, such as using white rice cakes to symbolize brightness as the first day of the new year dawns, and rounding the rice cakes in rice cake soup symbolizes the round sun. The meaning of the custom of eating rice cakes on the first day of the new year is that the tteokguk itself is made from long rice cakes, so it symbolizes longevity, like noodles, and the round shape like a coin symbolizes money, meaning that wealth increases like rice cakes. There is also a custom that if you eat rice cake soup on New Year's Day, you will turn one year older. On New Year's Day, in addition to tteokguk, people eat beef sanjeok, tteokgalbi, sikhye, and sujeonggwa.

I have three questions.

• What does the New Year look like in other countries and what kind of food do they eat?
• Are there foods that are meant to bring wealth from other countries?
• What are other countries’ New Year wishes?

Photo_Asian Journalists Association

[Visual News] A look at New Year’s customs by country

Source_ Chosun Ilbo

Korea holds a 'New Year's Eve' bell ringing event to signal the beginning and end of the year. Strike the Jongno Bosingak Bell 33 times to wish for a new year.

In Japan, on the first day of the new year, people visit a shrine and bow to pray for good luck. Do a deep cleaning at home, at work, or at a shrine.

The New Year countdown event in China and Hong Kong is famous for its laser shows and fireworks.

In the Philippines, people eat 12 types of round fruits according to the 12 months of the year and wear polka dots.

Myanmar celebrates the 'Thinjan' festival, where people sprinkle water on each other to wash away the old things of the past year.

Austria, a pig that cannot walk backwards symbolizes progress and progress. Eat pork or give a doll as a gift.

In Denmark, on New Year's Eve, people break dishes in front of friends and family's houses. They say they believe that the more broken pieces there are, the more good things happen.

In France, crepes are eaten to wish for good luck.

In Germany, fortune telling is done by melting lead in a spoon and pouring it into water. Eat ‘marzipan pig (almond cookies)’ shaped like a pig, which symbolizes good luck. It is said that if you eat a donut with a jam called ‘Berliner’ and it contains mustard, it means bad luck.

People celebrate the New Year with a kiss in Piazza San Marco, Italy. Eat cowpea soup, which brings good luck.

In Norway, people eat a marzipan ring cake called 'Kransekaj' made with almonds, sugar, and eggs.

In the village of 'Appenzell', Switzerland, 'Silvesterklausen', a festival where people dress up and wander around the village, is held. People drop a scoop of ice cream on the floor to pray for good luck and prosperity.

Eat 12 grapes, one at a time, to the sound of the clock chime in Puerta del Sol Square, Madrid, Spain. It is also believed that the doll is hidden in bread called 'Roscon de Reyes' and that whoever finds it will get good luck.

In Chile, we welcome the new year together at the cemetery with our loved ones who went before us. There is also soothing music and candlelight.

Colombia, I take an empty suitcase and take a walk around the neighborhood to prepare for the next year full of travel. Eat lentils, which are meant to bring good luck, and carry them in your pocket.

Ball drop in Times Square, New York, USA! Every New Year, a ball model comes down 43 meters from the One Times Square building. In the South, they eat 'Hopping John', a traditional rice dish with black beans, and it is said to have spread throughout the region as a New Year's food.

Lunar New Year food from around Asia

Source_Michelin Guide

[Food Review] Let’s learn about New Year’s food in each country

Source_Review Times/National Reviewer

Image_Wikimedia commons / Provided by Pixabay

In Korea, as a custom of 'Seol', a holiday to welcome the new year, we eat rice cake soup made with rice cake. As we welcome the new year, the desire for each day to be smooth is no different anywhere in the world. The only difference is the food eaten and the language spoken. How about welcoming 2024 in a different way by reflecting on the sincerity of people around the world who make food and the meaning behind food?

Chinese jiaozi (gyoza)

In China, the Lunar New Year (January 1st) is called 'Spring Festival', which is the biggest holiday in China and corresponds to our Lunar New Year. Chinese people celebrate the new year by eating round jiaozi (餃子) starting at 12 o'clock when the new year begins.

It must be made and eaten at midnight on the last day of the old year (11 p.m. to 1 a.m.). The first part of this zashi represents the old year and the latter part represents the new year. Because Jiaozi has the same pronunciation as Jiaozi, which means the intersection of the old year and the new year, it is said to mean the spirit of remorse and come to symbolize good fortune. Another thing is that the shape of Jiaozi resembles Yuanbao, one of the ancient Chinese coins, so it was thought to bring good fortune, so people put sacred food into Jiaozi and made it, making wishes for the new year. Jiaozi is a traditional Chinese dumpling made by wrapping various meat and vegetable fillings in a dough made from grain dough and then steaming or baking them. The Chinese believe that eating this food will open your ears and mouth and bring good luck into your body.

Japanese Osechi(御節)

Osechi in Japan (via Wikimedia commons)

In Japan, New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1st of the solar calendar, and the food eaten at this time is called 'osechi (おせち)'. Osechi is a food where 20 to 30 types of grilled, pickled and stewed dishes are served in a large 3 to 5 tiered box. The food composition varies from common side dishes such as bean soup, stewed anchovies, and egg rolls to expensive dishes such as grilled shrimp and grilled sea bream. Since fire is considered sacred in the New Year and must be prepared before the New Year to reduce the use of fire as much as possible, most foods are stewed, steamed, or pickled in vinegar so that they can be stored for a long time. In Japan, people started eating osechi in lunch boxes after the Edo period. It is a food that is worshiped by the gods and at the same time, it is an engimono (good luck food) that prays for the prosperity of the family. Therefore, Osechi cuisine uses ingredients that bring good luck, good harvest, health, and prosperity.

indian milk porridge

In India, on New Year's Day, families gather together in the yard to make milk porridge made with milk and rice. The milk porridge made this way is wrapped in fig leaves and shared with people around you. Milk porridge symbolizes good luck, because there is a story that Buddha ate milk porridge. Also, while boiling milk porridge, people tell their fortunes for the year. It is said that you will be blessed if you boil it well.

Vietnamese banh chung & Banh tet

In Vietnam, January 1st of the lunar calendar is called 'Tet', and Tet is the biggest holiday in Vietnam. Vietnam's representative Lunar New Year food is glutinous rice cake called 'Ban Trung', where 'Ban' means bread and 'Trang' means steamed in water. In Vietnam, rice is considered a food that dispels bad luck and evil, and Ban Trung carries the meaning of praying for well-being and good fortune for the year. Ban Trung is characterized by eating pork and mung beans inside a square glutinous rice cake wrapped in a banana leaf. It is a representative slow food that needs to be steamed over low heat for more than 3 hours, and is carefully made with the wishes of Vietnamese people wishing for good health and good luck in the coming year.

Ban trung is made square in the northern style, and banthet is made in a cylindrical shape in the southern style.

LO Hei Yee Sang, Malaysia

Lohei Ishang from Malaysia (via Wikimedia commons)

Ishang is a representative Lunar New Year food in Malaysia. Yixiang is a raw fish dish eaten on the 7th day of the first lunar month in China, but among Chinese immigrants around the world, it has become a food that can only be found in the Chinese cultures of Malaysia and Singapore. The reason is that ‘Lo Hei Yee Sang (捞起魚生)’ is a food developed by Chinese immigrants who immigrated to Malaysia. Lohei Ishang means lifting the Ishang high and praying for peace. It also carries the blessing meaning of lifting the Ishang high and praying for wealth and happiness.

Olivier, Russia

because tangerines symbolize red holidays. Then, family and friends gather together to celebrate the New Year with champagne. Olivier is something that cannot be missed at this time. Olivier is a salad made with various vegetables such as boiled eggs, carrots, and meat mixed with mayonnaise.

This tradition was started by Peter the Great in the early 18th century. Before that, the start of the new year was September 1st. Currently, the New Year's winter holidays are from January 1st to 10th. Traditional New Year's dishes such as Olivier and 'herring under a fur coat' (salted herring covered with vegetables) are served. Since we believe that we spend the year as if we were celebrating the New Year, many different foods are served on the New Year's table to have a prosperous new year. At 12 o'clock at night, drink champagne and make a wish. Many families also bake special bread containing New Year's blessings. Write various wishes on paper, wrap it in foil, and place it in the bread. We also bake prophecy bread. Put a coin in one of the breads, making one very salty and the other very sweet. It is believed that anyone who gets a bread with coins in it will be rich in the new year, salty bread will protect them from difficulties and trials, and sweet bread will lead them to an easy and enjoyable life.

French Galette (Galette des Rois)

In France, a pie-like galette (Galette des Rois) is eaten on New Year's Day. It is said that galette is meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the New Year, and especially when making this food, it is placed in a small pottery and baked. It is said that if you eat the galette inside the pottery, you will become a king for a day and will be lucky for the whole year. To be exact, it is eaten on the first Sunday of January, which is Epiphany, the day that commemorates the appearance of Jesus. Galette des Rois literally means ‘king’s cake.’ Just like a fortune cookie, whoever finds a feb (kidney bean) inside their slice of cake becomes king for the day and can request any wish they wish, as well as giving orders for the day. The reason kidney beans are included is because they are the first plant to sprout in spring and bear fruit as they grow older, symbolizing life, fertility, and birth. In the 19th century, dolls made of porcelain began to be included, and feves made of this porcelain were collected and kept as souvenirs. Galettes are a familiar bread in France that can always be found in bakeries and even served in school lunches, but the galettes that come out in the New Year are specially called ‘galette des rois’, which means ‘cake of kings.’

German Marzipan pig

In Germany, on New Year's Eve, the whole family shares Burgundy fondue. It is a food eaten by heating meat and various ingredients in hot oil. And to welcome the New Year, marzipan pigs, symbolizing good luck and happiness, are given to family, friends, and close neighbors. Marzipan Pig is a cute pig-shaped snack made with almonds, sugar, and honey. In Germany, since the pig is an animal that symbolizes good luck, sharing pig-shaped cookies is said to be an etiquette to commemorate and celebrate the New Year.

British mince pie

In England, mince pies are eaten every day for 12 days from December 25th to January 6th, which is Christmas Day. There is even a theory that if you miss even a day, you will have bad luck. It is also said that when making mincemeat, you should stir it clockwise, and mixing the ingredients counterclockwise will bring bad luck in the new year. Mince pies are a food brought back by British crusaders in the 13th century when they returned from the Middle East, and were originally eaten with meat made from cow or sheep fat as a filling. Nowadays, it is an English pie made with dried fruits, nuts, spices, and mincemeat (made from the loin fat of cows or sheep) as fillings in the pie dough, and it is very sweet.

Italian Cotechino con lenticchie

It is an Italian New Year's food made with sausages made from pig's feet and topped with lentils. In Italy, pigs symbolize abundance, and lentils, which are said to resemble coins, symbolize prosperity and financial luck. In particular, Italian people eat this food on New Year's Day in the belief that eating a pig that does not scratch the ground will lead to a prosperous year. It comes from the English word 'scratch', which means scratch, and means 'living in poverty'. Because it is contained. Lentils symbolize increasing wealth because they swell two to three times when cooked. However, in Italy, it is unique in that it is eaten on December 31st, not January 1st.

Spanish Grape

In Spain, there is a custom of eating 12 grapes and making a wish every time the clock tower bell rings at midnight to welcome the New Year. 12 grapes represent 12 months in a year, and eating one grape at a time makes a wish for the new year. This custom began in 1895, and each time the bell above the Royal Post Office in Sol Square in Madrid is rung, people eat a grape and make a wish.

Greece Vasilopita

Vasilopita is a traditional Greek cake that looks similar to castella, and Greeks bake it on the morning of New Year's Day and eat it with coffee. In particular, coins or small trinkets are placed inside the cake, and there is a custom that it is believed that whoever eats this piece of cake will be blessed with good luck all year long. Vasilopita is cut into pieces according to age according to the number of family members and visitors. In addition to the attendees, each piece is also cut for someone symbolic, as per tradition. The first sculpture is for Jesus Christ, the second is for the Virgin Mary, and the third is for Saint Basil. ‘Vasilopita’ means ‘Saint Basil’s bread’. It is a dessert created by Saint Basil, so its name comes from ‘pita (bread).’ It is said that Saint Basil wanted to give money to the poor, and so that it would not seem like charity, he asked a woman to bake her bread and placed several gold coins in it. So it is said that poor families were surprised with joy when they found coins in the bread.

Bulgarian Focaccia

Focaccia is a Bulgarian New Year's food that is similar to pizza. When eating this food, they put a coin in the bread, bake it, and then cut the bread into pieces according to the number of people at the table and give it to them. At this time, it is said that the person who receives the room containing the coin will be blessed with good luck throughout the year. In particular, unmarried people sleep with a piece of bread hidden under their pillow, and it is said that there is also a custom of being with the person who appears in a dream at this time.

Oliebollen, Netherlands

Olibollen, Netherlands (via Unsplash)

In the Netherlands, on New Year's Day, people eat Oliebollen, small, round donuts filled with dried fruit and fried. To celebrate the New Year, there is a tradition of eating oliebollen after sharing wine and champagne. Olibollen was first made by the Dutch around the 6th century and is also called Dutch donuts. It has been established as a New Year's food since the 19th century, and can be seen on the streets, in supermarkets, and in many homes starting in December. On New Year's Eve, family and friends gather together to eat and pray for peace in the new year, and in the Netherlands, 130 million ollybollens are consumed every year.

Hoppn’ John, USA

American Hopping Zone (via Wikimedia commons)

Hopping John is a New Year's food made by boiling rice, black beans, pork, turnip leaves, and vegetables. It is said that it originated from the residents of the southern region, where everything was devastated during the Civil War, who survived by eating the only remaining eastern beans and turnip leaves. They are especially eaten on New Year's Day because southerners believe that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will bring prosperity and good luck. The hopping zone contains beans, meaning ‘coins,’ vegetables, meaning ‘banknotes,’ and pork or bacon, meaning ‘wealth.’ This is said to mean 'let money roll in throughout the year'. Depending on the region, real coins may be put in, and the reason is that it is believed that if you find a real coin while eating a hopping zone, you will be lucky all year long. am. Hopping John is often eaten with cabbage, which symbolizes wealth because it is the color of American currency, and it is believed that people who eat cabbage will make more money in the next year than those who do not eat cabbage.

Canadian black-eyed peas

In Canada, dishes made with black-eyed peas are a particularly popular New Year's food. This is because it is believed that black-eyed bean dishes bring abundance for the year. Many types of food are made using black-eyed peas, including fish dishes, vegetable dishes, noodle dishes, and desserts.

Rosca de Reyes, Mexico

Mexico, which was a colony of Spain, also has the same New Year's customs. We welcome the new year by eating 12 grapes, one at a time. Also in Mexico, on January 6th, friends and family eat bread called Rosca de Reyes with coins in it. The bread is made in the shape of a wreath, usually with candied fruit on top and a baked baby figurine inside, and is often called a ‘rosca’. It is believed that whoever bites the coin will have good luck throughout the year.

“Become rich~~” World foods that wish for wealth (1)

Source_Women’s Economic Newspaper

China, 'Jiaozi', which means investing money and becoming rich *Refer to New Year's food

It is believed that eating jiaozi in the New Year will open your ears and mouth and bring good luck into your body. Coins or jujubes are placed inside the jiaozi to predict financial luck for the year.

Indonesia, ‘Nasi Kuning’, a symbol of abundant food

In Indonesia, Nasi Kuning, which is yellow rice with vegetables and meat, ‘Gado Gado,’ a vegetable salad with peanut sauce, and ‘Ayam Goreng,’ a fried chicken dish, are popular New Year foods. Among them, ‘nasi kuning’ is a representative food eaten in Indonesia, a food paradise, while wishing to become rich. Nasi Kuning is a dish made by piling high rice colored yellow with turmeric, surrounding it with various vegetables, chicken dishes, beef meatballs, potatoes, etc., and adding a variety of spicy seasonings. It is a dish that is always served on special occasions. Yellow symbolizes gold and silver treasures and abundant food in Indonesia. He piles yellow rice as high as a mountain and wishes for his hopes, ideals, and dreams, especially the dream of becoming rich.

France, ‘Financier’ modeled after the shape of a gold bar

Financier is a bread with an attractive savory and sweet taste that is commonly found in French bakeries. Financier is the French equivalent of the English word ‘Finance’, which originally means finance or finances. The reason why financier, meaning finance, was used in the name of bread can be found in the background of how it was first made. At that time, there was a custom among employees working at the stock exchange to give gifts at the start of the new year. A baker named Lasne, who ran a bakery near the French stock exchange, specially made bread for New Year's gifts in the shape of gold bars that stock exchange employees would like. It originated from being sold under the name Financier, which means.

 

“Be rich~~” World foods that wish for wealth (2)

Source_Women’s Economic Newspaper

In Europe, pork symbolizes wealth.

In Italy, a pork dish called 'zampone' is eaten on New Year's Day. Mode in Emilia-Romagna, a region in central and northern Italy to wish for good luck in the new year, I enjoy eating champone and lentil dishes made by removing the bones of a pig's leg and stuffing the skin into the shape of pig's trotters.

In some countries in Central and Northern Europe, such as Germany and Austria, the whole family gathers together on New Year's Day to enjoy pork dishes such as pig's feet. This is because it is believed that pigs bring money and good luck.

An American hopping zone where black beans symbolize coins and green vegetables symbolize bills *Refer to New Year's food

In China, people eat abalone on special days and pray for wealth.

Shells have been used in various ways as a food ingredient since the Stone Age, and their shells have also been used as currency. It is said that even in the early 20th century, there were places where seashells were used as currency. Most Chinese characters with 'shell' as a radical have meanings related to money. Among these rare shellfish, the most valuable shellfish is abalone. Because abalone resembles the shape of a silver coin from the Ming Dynasty called ‘yuanbao’, and because the Chinese words ‘baoyu (鮑魚)’ meaning abalone and ‘baoyu (包餘)’ meaning abundance are the same, the Chinese celebrate this special day. There is a custom to eat abalone and pray for wealth.

 

The world welcomes the new year... The constant wish is ‘peace’ 

Source_KBS News