Christmas in Joseon: a humble affair

Card from the 1930s

By Robert Neff

Christmas has a relatively short history in Korea. The handful of Westerners residing in Korea in the mid-1880s described their celebrations as rather humble affairs and, considering the unrest in the country and the prevalence of disease, many of their accounts are rather dark.

In a letter home, George Clayton Foulk (the American representative in Seoul) wrote: “In the winter it is clear and bracing, and the moonlight on the low tiled and thatched houses makes a pretty silvery sight, and in the still moonlight night all around me are [Koreans] hammering on drums, ringing bells to drive out the devils of small-pox and the host of other sicknesses they have, and other curious sounds too, which you don’t have at home.”

It wasn’t until the 1890s that Christmas became a real social event in the Western community due to the larger numbers of missionaries with their families. Many of the familiar traditions from Europe and North America were carried on including Santa Claus and Christmas trees.

The children dutifully wrote letters to Santa Claus in which they extolled their good behavior (and naturally glossed over their naughtiness) in an attempt to convince the jolly old soul that they were deserving of a gift. Without exception they succeeded.

The frozen Han River in 1883-84

Such was the case of Maurice, the eight-year-old son of Horace Allen (the Secretary of the American Legation in Seoul), who, in 1894, found a pair of ice skates under his Christmas tree after a letter had been written to Santa Claus. His exuberant belief amused the adults, including the American Minister to Seoul who wrote: “It hardly seems possible that a boy his age should really believe such a thing, but he appeared most innocent.”

Young Maurice’s conviction of the veracity of Santa was strengthened three years later when Santa suddenly appeared at the American Legation’s Christmas party and presented him and the other children with gifts. It was a memorable event but perhaps paled in comparison to Santa’s visit in Wonsan the year before.

Santa was, undoubtedly, a very busy man and so he sometimes needed help. In 1896, Mr. L. Ahrendts, a member of the Korean Customs Department at Wonsan, assisted Santa by assuming his dress and role. It was an unforgettable act and was described in the English-language newspaper The Independent:

“He was robed in scarlet mounted with beautiful snow cotton ― a veritable “old Santa,” as he came bound down from the snowy North. He had not finished his stories to the children, when by an accidental twitch of the hand the cotton took fire, and in a moment he was infolded in a mass of flames. Mr. Ahrendts’ presence of mind enabled him to free himself very quickly of the burning robe, thus came off with nothing more serious than a severely burned hand. It was a moment of intense excitement. And after all was over, the frightened children scarcely knew what to make out of ‘Old Santa,’ that he should take his departure in a burning flame like that.”

Winter fishing scene 1894-1896 Pyongyang

In 1894, Christmas found its way into the Korean palace through the efforts of Lillias Underwood who set up a Christmas tree for the royal family. It wasn’t a great success as she recalled:

“Soon after Christmas I dressed a Christmas tree for the royal family, but to my great vexation, the effect was quite spoiled because their majesties were too impatient to wait till dark to view it, and one cannot lock the doors on kings and queens and forbid them to do as they will in their own palaces. There were no heavy hangings or means of darkening the room, and so the poor little candles flickered in a sickly way in the glaring daylight, and I felt that Western customs were lightly esteemed in the critical eyes of the East.”