This blog is a window to my Life in Korea as an International Student. I am Buyana Buyangerel from Mongolia who came to Korea to study Masters in Economics from Kangwon National University, Chuncheon. It was a big decision by me in my life when I decided my study destination to Korea but I find it as a Turning Point in my life. Everybody of You are cordially welcome to join this blog. I hope the Morning calm will definitely inspire the Wonderful Blue sky.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Kudos to the values alive in Asia’s two culture centres called Mongolia and Korea , sharing cultural bondages: The story of seollal [ Lunar New Year] in Korea and Mongolia through my Window.

Across the Asian Continent,   there is a   special day  celebrated by  most of the  Asian countries every  year.  Mongolia too, being an inseparable part of Asia covering huge land mass   has a similar day celebrated by its   People, called  Tsagaan sar (White moon)  which is referred as  Seollal  in Korea.
It is   a day which gives me   enormous   feeling of oneness   with the Koreans   sharing   some common rituals which binds us together. Let’s know about   Korea and Mongolia’s rituals according to Asian   lunar New year.  Let’s  get culturally awared  about  the way seollal is being Celebrated in Korea and Mongolia.
What do Korean people eat in Seollal?
1.       They prepare some national food  Tteokguk (떡국)
                                                      (soup with sliced rice cakes)


                  
                                    a traditional Korean food   customarily eaten for the New Year.
      

  Korean New Year is similar to a birthday for Koreans and having tteogkuk   is  considered a part of their birthday celebration. Once you finish eating ,  one year age in their life gets added.          



Yummy Yummy  Mandu!  one more similarity between Mongolian and Korean Culture.


           
2.       What the Koreans wear during Seollal traditionally?

   
 Korean New Year is regarded as a family holiday in Korean Society. They  have  three-day holiday which is being is used by them to return to their hometowns, visiting  their parents, old friends and other relatives . They perform ancestral rituals as well.

  What is practiced in Korea during Seollal?
                       
                                They present prayers  offerings  to  their forefathers and ancenstors.


How about Mongolia

The  Mongolian  Tsagaan Sar is culturally more related to the Tibetan New Year than to the Chinese New Year.


The White Moon holiday is celebrated two months after the first new moon following the winter solstice.




1.       Which food do Mongolians  prepare?




This is one of the Mongolian food  called Buuz. It looks like Mandu but it includes  different materials like meat(beep,lambs,etc), onion, fennel.  Some households add mashed potato, cabbage or rice depending on their preferences and likes.



In Mongolia . the traditional food for the festival  also includes dairy products such as rice with curds (tsagaa-цагаа) or rice with raisin (berees-бэрээс.

Which clothes do Mongolians wear?
We dress our national clothes Deel in during this holiday.



2.       Special Greeting
 Many people will be dressed in full garment of national Mongol costumes. When greeting their elders during the White Moon festival, Mongols grasp them by their elbows to show support for them.



    The eldest receives greetings from each member of the family except for his/her spouse.

 Buyana  Buyangerel  from Mongolia.

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