By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
``Jeongwol Daeboreum,'' or Great Full Moon, is a Korean traditional holiday that celebrates the first full moon of the new year according to the lunar calendar.
``Jeongwol'' means first month and ``Daeboreum'' means big full moon. It comes around every fifteenth of the first lunar calendar month. This year, the day falls on Thursday.
Koreans traditionally crack nuts with their teeth, hoping this practice will help keep one's teeth healthy for the year.
Also, people climb mountains to see the first rise of the moon in belief that the first person to see the moon rise will have a good luck throughout the year.
Traditionally, Korean people played a game called ``jwibulnori'' the night before Jeongwol Daeboreum, during which they burned the dry grass on the ridges between rice fields and children whirled around cans full of holes, through which charcoal fire blazed.
Many people believe that these cans fertilize the fields and eradicate harmful worms to protect the new crops.
Also, Koreans have ``ogokbap,'' rice mixed with five different types of grain ― rice, black beans, millet, red beans and kidney beans, along with various seasoned dried herbs.
There is an interesting practice of greeting a friend with the phrase ``Nae deowi sara,'' which means ``buy my heat.''
Many people believe that if you say this to your friend before he or she does it, you will suffer from the heat less, as Korean summers bring a scorching heat.
On the day, many people can be seen crossing large bridges on foot, which is a custom called ``daribabki,'' made up of the two words ``dari,'' meaning bridge and ``babki,'' to step on. As ``dari'' also is Korean for leg, people make sure to do this custom in efforts to strengthen one's legs and prevent sickness for the year.
In celebration of the lunar calendar's 15th day of the first month, the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts holds a special performance of ``Sandaehui,'' or the Sandae Festival.
``Sandaehui'' represents three legendary spiritual mountains where different kinds of music, dances, and plays were performed.
Introduced from China, but localized throughout history, the performance was held to pray for peaceful reign and prosperity of the nation.
The festival includes court dances of ``Cranes and Lotus Flower Dance,'' ``Peach Offering Dance,'' ``Lion Dance'' and traditional acrobatics, ``One Hundred Animals Dance,'' ``Women's Circle Dance Ganggangsullae,'' and a variety of traditional dances and plays at Yeakdang Hall and an outdoor stage under the moonlight.
The performance will be held at 7:30 pm Thursday at Yeakdang Hall and an outdoor stage.
Also, the National Folk Museum of Korea is holding an event where one can experience traditional folk customs.
Visitors can making ``ogokbab'' and traditional rice cake, along with folk customs such as playing ``yutnori'' ― a game using four wooden sticks, cracking nuts, and praying for a good harvest. The events will run until Thursday.