The New Year is a time of insecurity and doubt for some people. To ensure a successful year Korean people may perform rituals that seem strange to Americans. Some of these rituals are performed out of habit. Some of them are performed to prevent misfortune. Whatever the reason, this post will be a combination of funny and odd practices that are sure to pique your curiosity.
You might be interested to know that some Koreans drink a type of liquor called kkwi balki sol (뀌밝이솔). This tonic is supposed to clear one’s hearing for the New Year. The tonic supposedly protects the drinker from overhearing any malicious gossip. It’s also supposed to give the drinker the ability to accept wise advice. Honestly, I’m not exactly sure of the ingredients that make up kkwi balki sol (뀌밝이솔). This drink is home-made and contains a concoction of traditional and supersitious beliefs. For example, I’ve heard that some people put a pinch of animal feces in the drinks. In some parts of rural Korea, animal feces are considered healthy and often used as fertilizer. In that case, I don’t really want to know what’s inside of a kkwi balki sol (뀌밝이솔)!
Another interesting supersition is that of jeya (제야). Jeya (제야) is the custom of staying awake on sut dal ku mum (섣달그믐) or New Year’s Eve. If the person doesn’t stay up until midnight of New Year’s Eve, it’s considered bad luck. The local legends all say that your eyebrows will turn white and you’ll age faster than normal. Since people hating aging, it’s a custom that people try not to put off. The custom of jeya (제야) is also carried out because it’s thought that being awake and welcoming the New Year will lead to a bright, healthy and happy life. Since this affects my future, I just stay awake until 12:00 am then go back to sleep at 12:01.
Another tradition involves a little story. There is a boogeyman in Korean folklore called Yakwanggy (약왕기). Apparently Mr. Yakwanggy (약왕기) likes to take trips to Korean households and steal their shoes. As a result, Korean people hide their shoes inside the house. Usually shoes are left outside of the door, but since Yakwanggy (약왕기) is the dude stealing people’s shoes, it’s just not safe to leave the shoes outside. If your shoes are stolen, it’s considered bad luck. Shoes symbolize the means or paths to a goal or aspiration. If you no longer have the shoes you basically lack the means to carry out your New Year’s dreams. Here’s the funny part: to confuse Yakwangyy (약왕기), people leave a noodle strainer outside of their doors. I guess Yakwanggy (약왕기) is not the brightest goblin out there, because he sees the strainer and becomes enchanted by it. He spends all his time counting the individual nooks and recounts them because he gets confused. Then, finding that the sun is on the rise, Yakwanggy (약왕기) runs away. Yakwanggy (약왕기) is the posterchild for the dark so yeah, sun is not his thing.
So whatever your New Year’s rituals are, just remember, don’t take it too seriously and just go with it for the fun of it.
The easiest game to play is paengichiki (파엔기치기). Paengichigi (파엔기치기) is a game where players try to knock over the other person’s spinning top. The person who has the spinning top still running is the winner. First you take the spinner in your hands and let it drop to the ground. Then you take a whip to strike the spinning top so that it continues to spin. I love playing this game on ice. When the spinner is put on ice, it spins way more rapidly than the floor. It’s a challenge to play on ice because you have to concentrate on the spinning top and yet make sure not to slip on the ice as well.
If you have good hand-eye coordination, you might want to try tuho (투호). Tuho (투호) is a game where you throw arrows into a vase. The person who has the most arrows in the vase is the winner. The vases may have several holes. The main hole is in the middle. The goal is to try to get the most arrows in the main hole. The other holes don’t count so if your arrows land there it’ll just be a waste of energy!
Here’s a game you can play by yourself: jegi-chagi (재기차기). Jegi-chagi (재기차기) is a game of hacky sack. The American version of hacky sack involves a player kicking a bag filled with beans into the air. However, jegi-chagi (재기차기) is a little different. Instead of a bag of beans, a shuttlecock is used. The tip of the shuttlecock is covered with a coin. A piece of cloth covers the coin. This allows the shuttlecock to have a light base and a heavy top. The goal is to keep the shuttlecock in the air, using just your legs. If you use your arms or let it fall to the ground, then you’ve lost the game. My legs became so sore and I had muscle spams after playing it for an hour. Jegi-chagi (재기차기) is a great form of exercise. It’s fun for all ages and easy to play. Really, everyone can participate.
Lastly, the hardest game to play is neolttwigi (널뛰기). Neolttwigi (널뛰기) is a game of seesaw. The object of the game is to stay on the seesaw through a series of jumps, without falling down. This game is physically exhausting. First you have to jump and make sure your end of the seesaw touches the floor without falling. Then the person on the other end of the seesaw has to do the same. Honestly I like the American version of seesaw better because you just have to sit and let the other person do all the work. Unfortunately neolttwigi (널뛰기) is a game of jumping so no sitting is allowed.
Hi everyone! Let’s talk about what Koreans eat on New Year’s Day. The typical day of the New Year starts with breakfast. Breakfast consists of a rice cake soup called ddok-kuk (떡국). Ddok-kuk (떡국) is a soup made of beef broth with thinly shaped oval rice cakes. Actually, I’m not sure why Americans call ddok-kuk (떡국) a soup with rice cakes. It’s not really a rice cake per say, but rather a type of dough made out of rice. Anyway, some of the ingredients in ddok-kuk (떡국) are bits of seaweed, an egg that has been cooked and thinly sliced, and some seasame seeds. The beef broth also contains some soy sauce as well. On top of that, it’s not unusual to see beef cut into small chunks mixed in with some green onions.
This is optional, but sometimes people put mandu (만두) in ddok-kuk (떡국). Mandu (만두) means dumpling in Korean. Mandus (만두) can be prepared by frying them, or boiling them in hot water. The mandu (만두) used in ddok-kuk (떡국) is boiled. The fried mandu are called gunmandu (근만두). Usually gunmandu (근만두) is crispy and dipped in soy sauce. The kind of mandu (만두) made in boiling water is called mulmandu (물만두) or mandu-kuk (만두국).
