Welcome Visitors! Long time no see!
I can't say thank you enough, but I really appreciate each of you visiting my blog! Thank you so much! A lot of people visited my blog more than I expected! I'm excited to keep blogging! Thanks!
Though it's quite late to say this...but...
Hope y'all have a Super Mega Awesome 2015!
Isn't it better to be late than never? (=Turns out that's just no more than an excuse? :P)
Hmm... Sounds like I talk the talk?
Well..... I would say I walk the walk!... hopefully! xD
Uhhh.... I tried to be humorous there... Did it work? *_*
Hopefully I'll do better next time!
So! It's the middle of January, but, it's still not over yet!
Koreans, of course, celebrate New Year's day in the solar calender. However, we also celebrate the Lunar New year too. New Year's day in the lunar calender is called Seollal (설날), which is one of the biggest national holidays. One day before and after Seollal are also holidays, so we get 3 days off! During the days off, many Koreans visit their family's home and spend time with them. YAY! It's a great chance to see a quiet and calm Seoul!
On Christmas day in Europe, every shop is closed, and it's very quiet in the streets, as everyone celebrates X-mas with their families at home. In Korea, we don't really celebrate Christmas that much, so I don't exactly know about that X-mas feeling. I assume Seollal is the day to describe what it looks like on Christmas day in Europe. Seoul becomes unusually quiet, as many people go to their hometown to see their families and many shops are closed. Seoul, one of the busiest cities, which seems to never sleep, finally takes a nap during the holidays.
Surely it deserves to! Meanwhile, many of highways are congested. Mmm..that's why many people are sick of going to hometown and returning back to Seoul. It isn't fun, though seeing a family is great. There should be something fun on the highways. What should be there? I have no idea. I didn't really think of it, because I stay in Seoul, as I'm from Seoul and most of my relatives live in Seoul.
This year, Seollal is on 19th February.
( Therefore, I suppose I'm not too late to greet you with happy new year? :D )
I can't say thank you enough, but I really appreciate each of you visiting my blog! Thank you so much! A lot of people visited my blog more than I expected! I'm excited to keep blogging! Thanks!
Though it's quite late to say this...but...
Hope y'all have a Super Mega Awesome 2015!
Isn't it better to be late than never? (=Turns out that's just no more than an excuse? :P)
Hmm... Sounds like I talk the talk?
Well..... I would say I walk the walk!... hopefully! xD
Uhhh.... I tried to be humorous there... Did it work? *_*
Hopefully I'll do better next time!
So! It's the middle of January, but, it's still not over yet!
Koreans, of course, celebrate New Year's day in the solar calender. However, we also celebrate the Lunar New year too. New Year's day in the lunar calender is called Seollal (설날), which is one of the biggest national holidays. One day before and after Seollal are also holidays, so we get 3 days off! During the days off, many Koreans visit their family's home and spend time with them. YAY! It's a great chance to see a quiet and calm Seoul!
On Christmas day in Europe, every shop is closed, and it's very quiet in the streets, as everyone celebrates X-mas with their families at home. In Korea, we don't really celebrate Christmas that much, so I don't exactly know about that X-mas feeling. I assume Seollal is the day to describe what it looks like on Christmas day in Europe. Seoul becomes unusually quiet, as many people go to their hometown to see their families and many shops are closed. Seoul, one of the busiest cities, which seems to never sleep, finally takes a nap during the holidays.
Surely it deserves to! Meanwhile, many of highways are congested. Mmm..that's why many people are sick of going to hometown and returning back to Seoul. It isn't fun, though seeing a family is great. There should be something fun on the highways. What should be there? I have no idea. I didn't really think of it, because I stay in Seoul, as I'm from Seoul and most of my relatives live in Seoul.
This year, Seollal is on 19th February.
( Therefore, I suppose I'm not too late to greet you with happy new year? :D )
On Seollal, we bow to older people such as grand parents, parents, uncles and aunts, saying "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo" (새해 복 많이 받으세요, May you receive a lot of blessings in the New Year). Nowadays, Koreans don't really make traditional formal bows on a daily basis, (Similar to how it's less common for European to curtsy (curtsey) or hold a skirt a little bit.) but exceptionally on Seollal, it's very common to perform this bow.
Ahem....By the way, some Koreans go to their hometown not on Seollal, but on solar New Year's day (1st Jan), and my family is one of them.
Why? I don't know. There's no specific reason.
That's our family's custom, and as descendants and the youngest generation in my family, my cousins, bro and I just follow parents' customs.
Why? I don't know. There's no specific reason.
That's our family's custom, and as descendants and the youngest generation in my family, my cousins, bro and I just follow parents' customs.
On New year's day, early in the morning, my family visited my big uncle, who also lives in Seoul. It took about 30 minutes to get there. Every year our families gather together there. (4 all together, including my 3 uncles' families)
Usually my family is the last one to arrive there, but this year we were not the last. We arrived there before 9 A.M. Yay!
After we greet the New Year together by bowing and so on...
Then it's...
Favorite time! Time to eat!
Though it's an annual event to visit big uncle's on the 1st January, and I visit my big uncle's for some time, I didn't forget to take photos for sure!
I sometimes( !?! probably more often than the average person ) behave like a tourist, as I like to take pictures of ordinary things or what I'm familiar with, even in places like my neighborhood and on campus.(though I'm not a freshman at all) xD
That makes my family, relatives or my friends slightly worried. :P
Actually I didn't use to take pictures of these kinds of things, but travelling changed me into what I'm now. (Inspirational books or lectures also affected me too)
To be short, travelling in Estonia, Nordic Europe really made me cherish and appreciate what I have and what I'm familiar with. Estonia is a very beautiful country, but when you're there, all of the ordinary things disappear.
I started taking pictures of my neighborhood or something ordinary for my foreign friends who stayed quite long in Seoul, because some ordinary things seem to be "hidden" to them, as many of them live in a dormitory or one room. For an expat, it wouldn't be easy to experience all the local's daily moments.
So, here I am!
To be their eyes and ears!
Though I appear very weird to my family, uncles, aunts and cousins!
Doesn't matter! xD
I become an explorer, a scientist or a reporter!
I took a few pictures of uncle's house for my friends who only stayed in a one room or in a guesthouse. (Tip: We don't wear shoes inside!) We have a living room and balcony (veranda). Usually a balcony is where you put things you don't use much or it's a place to grow plants. The dining room (in a kitchen) and living room are connected, and we usually have lunch or dinner at a table in the dining room. (We would call it a kitchen though.) When there are visitors or guests, you see, it would be hard to have a meal at the table there together.
So... most Koreans have a folding table at home, as you can see in the pictures. It's very common to sit on the floor at home, even if most people have sofas or a couch.
Below, I'm going to share the pictures of food we eat every new year's day.
Hope this helps you to get a glimpse into local Korean's life.
Capture the ordinary moments!
That's my motto.
Usually my family is the last one to arrive there, but this year we were not the last. We arrived there before 9 A.M. Yay!
After we greet the New Year together by bowing and so on...
Then it's...
Favorite time! Time to eat!
Though it's an annual event to visit big uncle's on the 1st January, and I visit my big uncle's for some time, I didn't forget to take photos for sure!
I sometimes( !?! probably more often than the average person ) behave like a tourist, as I like to take pictures of ordinary things or what I'm familiar with, even in places like my neighborhood and on campus.(though I'm not a freshman at all) xD
That makes my family, relatives or my friends slightly worried. :P
Actually I didn't use to take pictures of these kinds of things, but travelling changed me into what I'm now. (Inspirational books or lectures also affected me too)
To be short, travelling in Estonia, Nordic Europe really made me cherish and appreciate what I have and what I'm familiar with. Estonia is a very beautiful country, but when you're there, all of the ordinary things disappear.
I started taking pictures of my neighborhood or something ordinary for my foreign friends who stayed quite long in Seoul, because some ordinary things seem to be "hidden" to them, as many of them live in a dormitory or one room. For an expat, it wouldn't be easy to experience all the local's daily moments.
So, here I am!
To be their eyes and ears!
Though I appear very weird to my family, uncles, aunts and cousins!
Doesn't matter! xD
I become an explorer, a scientist or a reporter!
So... most Koreans have a folding table at home, as you can see in the pictures. It's very common to sit on the floor at home, even if most people have sofas or a couch.
Hope this helps you to get a glimpse into local Korean's life.
Capture the ordinary moments!
That's my motto.
Before setting the table...
I also took some pictures in the kitchen!
This Korean pancake is called 빈대떡 (Bindaetteok).
This is Tteokguk! (떡국)
Tteok is that white sliced rice cakes and guk means soup.
Did you notice (in the pictures of food on the folding table)
that each of us has Tteokguk?
On New Year's day, everyone has Tteokguk!
I don't remember any new year's day without it!
Without it, greeting the new year is never complete!
We say "Eat Tteokguk and get one year older."
In Korea, people consider themselves to be one year older
on New Year's Day (solar), rather than on birthday.
Koreans eat this white tteok to wish ourselves health and longevity.
uhhhh....Me?
I don't really think of the meaning though...xP
I eat this because it's delicious, rather than to wish myself longevity.
It seems I made a wish without even realizing it!
Whatever! It's more important to enjoy it!
Below are pictures I took on the new year's day in 2014.
Comparing 2014's and 2015's would be interesting!
Thanks all for reading this very very long post!
Have a very wonderful 2015!
XD
