New Year Celebrations in Korea

Though Korea has been marking the New Year according to the Chinese lunar calendar for thousands of years, many modern Koreans have also taken to celebrating on the beginning of the solar calendar as well. In either case, this is an important family holiday throughout South Korea. Most people will return to their family homes to see relatives and pay tribute to their late ancestors, where they share prayers, give gifts of money to the children, and partake of traditional Korean food.

The New Year meal for Koreans frequently consists of duk gook with mandu, also commonly known as rice cake soup. Many people will tell their children that, unless they eat the duk (rice cake), they do not become another year older. If you’d like to mark the New Year the Korean way, come to our Bellevue Korean restaurant for a bowl of rice cake soup!

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