By Mr.Hwang Il-yong,
The author of this article is the Director of Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI), and Counsellor (Culture & Press) of The Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
Jeongwol Daeboreum (정월 대보름) is an ancient Korean festival that celebrates the first full moon after Seollal, Korea’s Lunar New Year – the 15th day of the first month of the lunar new year. It is believed to be the largest and most bountiful moon of the year. During this festival, Koreans perform traditional customs and wish for a prosperous year to come.
Daeboreum Activities
– Daljip Tae-ugi (달집태우기) : Daljip, which literally means ‘moon house,’ is a huge pile made of straws and twigs. The Daljip is piled in a triangular shape, to create a ‘house’ for the rising full moon. When the moon rises, the daljip is set alight to ward away evil spirits and bring luck for the coming year. In India, fire is considered a sacred power that wards off evil spirits, and the moon is traditionally considered auspicious too. Lohri can be a good example in India. Similarly, in Korea, the full moon symbolizes abundance and fire symbolizes the purification of misfortune and evil. These days, people hold a special bonfire and on Jeju Island, there’s an annual Daeboreum Festival, complete with a bonfire and other activities.
– Dalmaji (달맞이) : A custom called Dalmaji sees Koreans climb mountains and high places to see the moon as it rises; the first people to catch a glimpse will either have good luck for the coming year, or a wish granted.
– Dongdaemun nori (동대문놀이): It is one of the popular children games in Korea, which is very similar to the “Poshampa” game played in India. On the day of Daeboreum, all the neighborhoods’ children gather and play this game under the full moon. Two players make a gate-like structure by joining their hands and holding it high up together. These players sing the song while others pass through the gate by running around the players in a line. Once the song finishes the players close the gate and one of the players is caught inside the gate. The game ends when all the children have been caught in the gate.
Daeboreum Foods
– Ogokbap (오곡밥), five-grain rice consisting of glutinous rice mixed with proso millet, sorghum, black beans, and red beans is traditionally served on Daeboreum morning, along with various dried herbs. In India during festivals people gift each other snacks and sweets to share the blessings and festivities with their loved ones. Similarly, Koreans also cook this Ogokbap early in the day, so that they can share their dishes with friends and neighbors.
– Bureom (부럼) is a word generally referring to the various kinds of nuts that people eat on the morning of Daeboreum, such as walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, and peanuts. The nuts are presented with their shells intact, as Koreans crack the shells with their teeth. This ritual is said to promote healthy teeth and prevent skin boils, as well as bringing good luck. In India, dry fruits platters or boxes containing different nuts are gifted to dear ones to express adoration and care on festivals like Diwali and Holi. Dry fruits and nuts are synonymous with warmth, affection, care, and love.
– Gwibalgi-sul (귀밝이술), literal translation ‘ear-sharpening wine’, is taken while eating nuts. In the past, people believed that by drinking this wine they would avoid earaches that year and improve their hearing so that they wouldn’t miss any good news.
– Yaksik (약식) is one of the days’ special treats. It’s made of glutinous rice, chestnuts, pinenuts, honey, sauce, and sesame oil.
– Injeolmi (인절미) is a kind of rice cake made by beating steamed glutinous rice until it is sticky, cutting it into square pieces and covering it with bean flour.
More and more living here and learning about India, I have realized many similarities between Korea and India, and I have been assured that we are deeply connected and related to each other. When I see beautiful and smiling faces of children playing Poshampa, I feel like they are my children and nephews, I am here, my home country. Considering this kind of shared culture and heritage consisting of our deep-rooted identity between the two countries, I can not resist accepting many people`s interesting theories based on ancient history books and the legendary stories, of Queen Huh Hwang-ock. When the Indian princess came to Korea to marry the Korean king, I also guess Korea and India could have visited and exchanged many things with each other. Dongdaemun nori and Poshampa, whatever games are called, anyway this is what we have and share as our heritage and culture which consists of our soul and identity. So I strongly feel Korea and India have been connected and related to each other as a family unit.
The author of this article is the Director of Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI), and Counsellor (Culture & Press) of The Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
