Korea doesn’t celebrate New Year like in the states. I remember on January 1st when the clock stroked midnight, my friends and I were screaming, while the Korean people walked and did whatever they were doing like it was nothing. They don’t celebrate New Year, but Lunar New Year. They follow the Chinese calendar system, because it tracks when the new moon changes. This year, the Lunar New Year was January 10, the year of the Snake. Their celebration usually lasts three days: the day of, before, and after. Usually Korean people pay respect to their ancestors and catch up with their family members. I’m not sure if it is still common but they wear Hanbok, which are their traditional clothes. Food is also very important. When we were at the supermarket, it was packed and super busy! Most people probably went out of town to visit their family.
As for me, since my friends and I do not have a Korean family to go to, we decided to celebrate the Lunar New Year by going to a shop in Insadong. We went to take pictures of ourselves wearing Hanboks for memories of our Lunar New Year spent here in Korea.
