New Year's Day in Korea and China
200903875 Seonyoung Blair Hwang
New Year's Day is one of festive and exciting festivals that is celebrated many people all around the world and there are numerous sorts of ways to celebrate it. In Asia, especially Korea and China has many things to spend New Year's Day in common such as food to eat and custom.
In terms of food to eat in New Year's Day, both Korean and Chinese people eat special food. They celebrate the day by having meals altogether with their family members. People of the countries think it is very important to have meals when greeting a New Year's Day and regard it as a procedure to greet a new year. However, there is a difference between the two countries. While Korean people eat tteokguk which is Korean traditional soup with rice cakes in it, Chinese people eat nianyefan which means a meal of the day before New Year's Day. tteokguk is Korean style soup with sliced rice cake in it. People put sliced vegetables, meat, and seafood to decorate the soup. Korean people believe that eating the soup allow them to get one year old. Unlike tteokguk, nianyefan is a dinner that is had by all the family members in China. While Korean people give priority to eat specific dish, tteokguk, Chinese people focus on the meal itself more than specific food. In general, Chinese people prepare fish and rice cake when they have the dinner because fish is thought to be a symbol of luck for a new year and rice cake is one of the most traditional and common dish in China.
When it comes to customs people in Korea and China have, parents and grandparents give some money to their children and grandchildren. It is regarded as a method for parents to praise their children be happy and for children to prepare their new school year. While Korean people give the money with white envelop, Chinese people use red envelop because red means flourish and good luck in China. Besides, both of the country spend New Year's Day amid their unique way. They think by having special custom in the day, they can exorcise evil spirits and bring good luck to their homes. While Korean people buying new clothes to their children to praise their fortune, Chinese people clean up their houses and put a sign with 'fu' which means good luck upside down in front of their houses.
As Korea and China border, they share many things from celebrations to culture. The two countries have handed down their traditions each other. To take a look at a celebration of the countries would be worth to enhance mutual understandings between them.
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