The Korean language program’s Winter Session comes to an end on March 13. So that gives you a few more weeks to start learning or improving your Korean linguistic abilities. Classes meet every Tuesday, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the KCCLA building. The Spring Session should be starting in April.

For more information, call KCCLA at (323) 936-7141, ext. 112, during the normal business hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or e-mail klp@kccla.org, or contact John Song at (909) 821-9104.

 

 

 

 

Cultural Corner

The rites of Seolnal

 

 

Get ready to celebrate Seolnal, the Korean name for Lunar New Year’s Day. And according to the Chinese calendar, the 4,704th year begins on Feb. 18, 2007.

In Korea, Seolnal is a time for new beginnings and reconciling old differences. Like most Korean holidays, Seolnal has very specific traditions involving food, games and rituals. For example, many Koreans travel to their ancestral homes (generally, the home of the eldest living male), like they do for Chuseok, Korea’s equivalent to Thanksgiving. As a result, there are at least two days in the year with horrific traffic jams across the country.

One Seolnal legend says that if children go to sleep on the eve of the new year, their eyebrows will turn white. So kids have a good excuse to stay up all night. Meanwhile, the parents hang a rice sieve (bokchori) on the door or gate to their home. This is supposed to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck. Here are a few more Seolnal traditions:

 

 

Yakwangi

According to legend, Yakwangi arrives on the eve of the New Year for the sole purpose of stealing shoes. If he finds a pair and they fit, he will carry them off to the spirit world. In order to prevent this burglary from happening, you must hide your shoes or leave them in a high place in the house (apparently, Yakwangi only pilfers from ground level). The best method to outwit him is to hang a rice sieve (bokchori) by the door. Yakwangi will look for your shoes, but find the sieve instead. “What’s this?” he will wonder. “Why so many eyes?” He will think the sieve’s holes are eyes, and try to count how many eyes there are. But soon he will lose track and surrender, leaving without the shoes.

 

Seolbim and Charye

Traditionally, on Seolnal morning, Koreans dress in new, traditionally styled clothes, or seolbim, as a symbol for a fresh start in the new year. The first order of the day is charye, a ceremony that honors the ancestors. The family gathers at the elder’s house, and they set up a special screen and table. On the table they place ancestral artifacts and food offerings. Male family members bow deeply. After the ceremony is over, the family takes the food offerings as a meal.