Celebrating first full moon of lunar calendar amid pandemic

A family takes a picture in front of a giant full moon displayed at the entrance of the National Folk Museum in Jongno District, central Seoul, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

By Lee Hae-rin

An old Korean saying goes, "A good Jeongwol makes a good year."

Jeongwol Daeboreum is the day of the first full moon of the Lunar Year, which falls on Feb. 15 of this year's solar calendar. Carrying great importance, along with Lunar New Year and Chuseok, it is a day of wishing to the moon for a prosperous year ahead with a good harvest and well-being for one's family and community.

The full moon has long been a symbol of abundance in Korea's traditionally agrarian society. The people in any given village would gather to celebrate the year's first full moon by having a special meal together and playing several games to build a spirit of unity and cooperation.

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has suspended almost all regional festivals related to the holiday, there are several events in Seoul and ways to carry on the history and traditions of Jeongwol Daeboreum to maintain the communal spirit and good wishes for each other's good fortune.

A giant full moon is installed at Changgyeong Palace in central Seoul, Sunday, to celebrate Jeongwol Daeboreum, the traditional holiday celebrating the first full moon of the lunar year. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Make a wish

The lunar calendar had been the country's main calendar until the Gregorian Solar calendar was introduced in 1896. Naturally, the movements of the moon had been an important factor in seasonal activities.

The year's first full moon was especially meaningful to Korean people, and wishing for a year's good harvest and health to the first full moon, which symbolizes prosperity and fecundity, is one of the typical ways to celebrate the event.

Changgyeong Palace in central Seoul offered a special night opening with an installation of a giant full moon from Feb. 11 to 17, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Visitors may enjoy serene views of the beautiful palace buildings and garden with the full moon installation.

The entrance fee for Changgyeong Palace is 1,000 won ($0.83) and the city offers an additional discount for children and visitors aged under 24.

"Bureom," which consists of mixed hard-shelled nuts to be eaten on the morning of Jeongwol Daeboreum, is displayed during the holiday celebration at the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul, Feb. 13, 2013. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Breakfast

In the past, Koreans would start the morning of Jeongwol Daeboreum with a special breakfast ― a round of an "ear-quickening drink" and a handful of nuts.

The alcoholic beverage, which is thought to sharpen the ears and bring good news for the rest of the year, was served as an aperitif. It was brewed from the finest crops of the previous year and served cold. Any type of alcohol would do, but these days people would mostly have refined rice wine for the occasion.

Along with the drink, "bureom," or a selection of nuts, was served to wish for good health. The word in Korean has a double meaning of hard-shelled nuts as well as a skin boil, which was a common malady in the past. The name is a play on words, as biting on the nuts was thought to protect from illness.

By imbibing the brewed drink along with chestnuts, peanuts and walnuts, people believed they would be safe from sweeping illnesses and have healthy teeth. Men and women of all ages, regardless of their ability to drink, had the special breakfast on the morning of Jeongwol Daeboreum, according to historic records.

Bottles of refined rice wine are displayed at Soolsool store, a specialty shop offering a fine selection of Korean traditional drinks in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Many types of refined rice wine are available in convenience stores and markets. However, some trendy bottle shops that sell traditional beverages are easy to find in Seoul, such as "Soolsool store" near Chungmuro Station on Seoul Metro lines 3 and 4. The shop offers a selection of traditional drinks including makgeolli, made by young and master brewers of the country.

A family plays tug-of-war in the field by the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul, Sunday, to celebrate Jeongwol Daeboreum. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Traditional seasonal games

Approximately one fifth of the almost 200 seasonal customs celebrated over the year in Korea are related to Jeongwol Daeboreum.

The National Folk Museum of Korea offered a diverse selection of seasonal customs experiences and performances from Feb. 12 to 15, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors may experience traditional games including tug-of-war, which were often played among villagers during the holiday.

Jwibullori, which means "mouse fire game" in Korean, is another traditional custom that is representative of the Daeboreum holiday and related to the country's agricultural background.

In the past, Koreans would set fire to parts of the farming fields on the night of Jeongwol Daeboreum to exterminate mice and other pests that are harmful to crops, in preparation for the year's farming. Since the country's independence in 1945, the tradition developed into a can-swinging game by putting burning charcoal inside empty cans coming from the U.S. military. People would tell fortunes based on the size of the fire set to the fields and even compete with neighboring villagers to see who had the bigger fire.

Members of Sori Eco Love, an environmental civic group of Songpa District, enjoy the traditional game "Jwibullori" with LED lights near Seongnae Stream in southeastern Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

In Songpa District, a modern, safe and eco-friendly version of Jwibullori was offered on the night of the holiday. Sori Eco Love, a local environmental civic group, performs Jwibullori with LED lighting along Seongnae Stream to celebrate the tradition of the full moon festival and bring the message of protecting the environment, by minimizing waste during the event.

"It's a pity that the young generation nowadays seems to experience a sense of loss. We wish that people would appreciate the great heritage of the past generations and carry on the good tradition, as well as take care to conserve the environment," Yim Hong-soon, the head of the civic group, said to The Korea Times, Tuesday.

Traditional Daeboreum dishes are prepared during a celebration at the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul, Feb. 13, 2013. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Daeboreum meal with seasonal delicacies

The traditional meal served on Jeongwol Daeboreum offers nourishing vegetable-based food, made of seasonal ingredients that are both rich in flavor and found in abundance.

"Ogokbap" (five-grain rice) is a bowl of rice cooked with the grains harvested from the previous year, including millet, sorghum, red beans and beans ― all of which were valued in agricultural communities as a means of sustaining life.

Served together with ogokbap is a selection of nine to 10 seasoned dried vegetables, which are also gathered from last year's harvest. Seasonal vegetables such as dried slices of young pumpkin and eggplants, reeds, bracken and mushrooms are stir-fried with sesame oil and soy sauce.

The combination of rice and vegetables was to be served separately and eaten in roll wraps of dry seaweed. If mixed, as with bibimbap, the meal would represent bushy weeds, a bad omen the year's harvest. If served separately, the meal was believed to drive away the heat during the hottest days of the summer and grant good health.

Ogokbap and seasoned vegetables are Korean's traditional way of awakening the palate that had been dormant over the long winter and ingesting dietary fiber and minerals for good health. The foods are available at markets and grocery stores during the holiday season.