Issue 05 - Happy Holiday !
Happy Holiday !
I hope you received our previous letter well. In this Off Topic episode, I wanted to inform you that unfortunately C, cannot participate in writing due to personal reasons. (We are currently working on preparing new events little by little.) C and I will return together after the holidays!
It will be a quick and short issue this time. In this episode, Z would like to talk about the holidays.
💫[Z]💫
2023 Christmas and the 2024 New Year are just around the corner. Time flies ! Before coming to Europe, I did not expect that Christmas could be such a significant event on a different continent.
In Korea and Japan, Christmas is typically spent with friends and people that you are in a relationship with, while the New Year is more like a family gathering, counting down and spending time together. Particularly in Japan, fun fact due to the successful aggressive marketing by KFC, eating KFC🍗 on Christmas is a huge thing.
In Korea, Christmas is observed as a public holiday, reflecting religious equality, while in Japan, it isn't considered a public holiday. Looking back, the absence of Christmas as a holiday in Japan seems quite disappointing !
In Japan, on New Year's, it is customary to eat mochi and visit a big shrine to pick omikuji (fortune-telling slips made of paper). Additionally, the Japanese celebrate the New Year by enjoying a variety of traditional Japanese dishes 🍱 (Osechi). Osechi cuisine is not an everyday meal, but rather a wish of health, prosperity, and happiness, and is meant to be shared with family and friends while celebrating the New Year. Some well-known establishments selling Osechi may even accept orders a year in advance.
In Korea, before January 1st, people often gather at places with large bell displays for a countdown event as the clock strikes midnight. Furthermore, it is a tradition to make wishes while watching the first sunrise of the New Year and visit famous tourist spots.
It is no longer observed, there used to be a cultural practice in Korea where individuals would gain age one on January 1st. For as a symbol of longevity, people would eat soup with rice cakes (tteokguk), and there was a saying that consuming this dish would add one more year to your age. I remember I asked relatives if I could age three more years by eating three bowls of tteokguk when I was young.
Since coming to Europe, I've realised the significant emphasis placed on spending holiday with family and people around me. I am greatly looking forward to going to the Christmas market this year. Additionally, I am anticipating the days spent celebrating Christmas and New Year with my new family!
We hope you all have a great and the best holiday season.
As for Totally Off Topic, we will take the time to recharge, gather energy, and prepare various events and updates after the holidays.
We look forward to seeing everyone in 2024 !