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Today, both 신정 and Seollal are celebrated in Korea, with 신정 being more modern and Seollal being more traditional. This decision was later reversed, and 신정 was reinstated as a national holiday in the 1980s. In the early 1960s, the Korean government abolished 신정 as a national holiday and instead designated Seollal as the main New Year's celebration. However, even after liberation, 구정 faced challenges as the Korean government struggled to establish its own cultural identity. This policy was in place until the end of World War II when Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule.
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In an effort to stamp out 구정, the Japanese government declared January 1st to be a national holiday and discouraged the observance of Seollal. Similar to 신정, or January 1st, 구정 faced challenges during the period of Japanese colonial rule, when the Japanese government tried to suppress Korean cultural traditions and promote Japanese culture and values.
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구정, or the lunar New Year celebration, has also gone through a lot of hardships in the past century in Korea. Many people in their 60s and older celebrate their birthdays using the lunar calendar, so every year is a different date on the Gregorian calendar. Korea celebrates most of the anniversaries or special days by the lunar calendar. Both 신정 and 구정 are important holidays in Korea and are celebrated in different ways, with 신정 being more modern and 구정 being more traditional. During 구정, families come together to eat special foods, play traditional games, and participate in cultural activities such as wearing traditional Korean clothing and bowing to elders. 구정, on the other hand, is a more traditional holiday that is centered around family gatherings and the performance of ancestral rites. 신정 is a time for people to celebrate the new year with their families and friends, and may involve activities such as making resolutions, watching fireworks, and staying up late to countdown to midnight. In Korea, 신정 (sinjeong) refers to January 1st, the Gregorian New Year, while 구정 (gujeong) refers to the lunar New Year, also known as Seollal. Both New Year's celebrations are an important time for Koreans to come together with their families and celebrate their culture and traditions.Ī Complete Guide to Seollal - Korean New Year Culture and Traditions Seollal typically falls on the first day of the lunar calendar, which can be anywhere from late January to early February.
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Other customs include wearing traditional Korean clothing called hanbok and participating in a traditional bow called sebae to show respect to elders. Seollal is a time for families to gather together and perform ancestral rites, play traditional games, and eat specific foods such as rice cake soup. However, Seollal is the bigger holiday in Korea, with a longer holiday period and more elaborate traditions. The Gregorian New Year is the more widely recognized New Year's celebration, with many of the same traditions as in Western countries, such as staying up late to countdown to midnight and making resolutions for the new year. For foreigners unfamiliar with Korean customs, it can be confusing to understand the difference between the two holidays. In Korea, there are two New Year's celebrations: the Gregorian New Year on January 1st and the Lunar New Year, also known as Seollal. What’s the Difference Between January 1st and Korean Lunar New Year?
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