※ TriPriend app offers discounts and free vouchers for a variety of Seoul cafes, restaurants, and facilities.
To download TriPriend app, please click the banner below.
Have you heard of Jeongwol Daeboreum, one of the Korean holidays such as Seollal and Chuseok?
Many customs and practices associated with the Jeongwol Daeboreum have faded over time; however, several traditions and events persist to this day.
Learn about the Jeongwol Daeboreum in Korea and participate in the events.
Together with many others, you can wish for a safe and prosperous year!
Let's begin😎
Jeongwol Daeboreum, known as a Korean holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. For traditional Koreans who primarily relied on agriculture, this full moon symbolized abundance. Jeongwol Daeboreum features the most ceremonies, events, and games of any holiday. Notably, it's a day dedicated to large-scale festivities aimed at praying for a bountiful harvest and prosperity in the coming year. While Seollal is a more personal holiday focused on family gatherings, Jeongwol Daeboreum is a communal celebration that encourages participation from the entire village community.
In the past, the period from Seollal to Jeongwol Daeboreum was celebrated as the New Year, a time dedicated to preparing for the upcoming farming season. On Jeongwol Daeboreum, people prayed for their luck, and various rituals and games were held to invoke a bountiful harvest. Notably, it was believed that if one slept on the night of Jeongwol Daeboreum, their eyebrows would turn white. To prevent this, families would illuminate their homes with lanterns and stay awake all night. This tradition symbolized the idea that by spending one bright night on Jeongwol Daeboreum, they could ward off diseases and evil spirits while inviting a prosperous harvest. At that time, if someone in the family fell asleep, they would surprise them by painting their eyebrows white with flour or a similar substance. Let’s explore other fascinating customs associated with Jeongwol Daeboreum.
In Korea, there’s a tradition of crunching a burum with their molar, which sounds similar to the Korean word 'Buseurum' (meaning 'trouble'), in the hope of preventing minor misfortunes throughout the year. This custom is one of the most representative traditions that has been passed down to the present day. The burum typically includes various nuts, such as peanuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, walnuts, and ginkgo nuts. Recently, however, people have begun to enjoy nut-based snacks instead of cracking burum. Ogokbap is a rice dish made with five grains: glutinous rice, millet, sorghum, red beans, and soybeans. This dish symbolizes the wish for a bountiful harvest of all grains throughout the year. Additionally, it's beneficial for health, as it's rich in nutrients due to the variety of grains used. Yakbap has its origins in a story about the king of Silla, who was able to evade an assassin thanks to a note he received while following a crow. In gratitude, he offered yakbap to the crow. Yakbap is made by steaming glutinous rice with jujubes, chestnuts, dried persimmons, and honey, and it has gained popularity as a retro snack due to its sweet flavor and chewy texture.
Jwibulnori is a traditional Korean folk game celebrated on the eve of Jeongwol Daeboreum. Participants ignite the ridges of rice fields and other agricultural areas. Small holes are made in a can, which is then filled with straw and set on fire. The can is spun and thrown, symbolizing the desire to cast away old thoughts from the previous year, and the flames are believed to burn away bad luck and misfortune. Additionally, this game helps to eliminate harmful insects weeds on the ridges of rice fields, thereby reducing damage from pests and diseases and enhancing soil fertility.
Bridge-stepping is an interesting custom that takes its inspiration from the fact that, in Korean, both “bridge” and “leg” are using the same word. This tradition, believed to grant the person who steps on a bridge during the night of Jeongwol Daeboreum strong legs, was observed nationwide, transcending gender, age, and social status. Notably, historical records from the Goryeo Dynasty indicate that the streets were bustling all night on Jeongwol Daeboreum for Bridge-stepping, highlighting the long-standing significance of bridge-stepping in Korean culture.
Gwibalgisul is a term for Cheongju (rice wine) that is drunk before breakfast on the Jeongwol Daeboreum. If you interpret the name Gwibalgisul, it translates to drink that sharpens your ears. It's said that consuming Gwibalgisul will enhance your hearing, allowing you to hear only good news. Therefore, to ensure a year filled with positive news, it is believed that people prepare good rice after the fall harvest and brew Gwibalgisul with it. when the liquor is complete, it should be drunk cold, not heated. You may think this is simply a superstition, but cheongju actually contains ingredients that promote blood circulation, so it's said that blood flows well to the ears.
The 2025 Samcheok Full Moon Festival is a ceremonial event centered around Samcheok’s unique tug-of-war, where participants pray to the gods of heaven, earth, and sea for a bountiful harvest and a plentiful catch! At this festival, attendees can also take part in Samcheok’s tug-of-war, which was designated as Gangwon-do Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 2. This year, a wider array of activities has been organized to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Samcheok’s tug-of-war being recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Starting with Jeongwol Daeboreum on February 12th, the festival will also be held from the 14th to the 16th. it features various ritual events, performances, and activities throughout the venue. Visitors can also sample traditional dishes such as Gwibalgisul, Burum, and Ogok-bap, and participate in cultural activities like Daljip Taeugi. Come visit Samcheok and experience Korea’s Jeongwol Daeboreum!
Address: 45 Expo-ro, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do
Work: Feb. 14th – Feb. 16th