The New Year is a time of insecurity and doubt for some people.\u00a0 To ensure a successful year Korean people\u00a0may perform rituals that seem strange to Americans.\u00a0 Some of these rituals are performed out of habit.\u00a0 Some of them are performed to prevent misfortune.\u00a0 Whatever the reason, this post will be a combination of funny and odd practices that are sure to pique your curiosity.<\/p>\n
You might be interested to know that some Koreans drink a type of liquor called kkwi balki sol (\ub00c\ubc1d\uc774\uc194<\/strong>).\u00a0 This tonic is supposed to clear one’s hearing for the New Year.\u00a0 The tonic supposedly protects the drinker from overhearing any malicious gossip.\u00a0 It’s also supposed to give the drinker the ability to accept wise advice.\u00a0 Honestly, I’m not exactly sure of the ingredients that make up kkwi balki sol (\ub00c\ubc1d\uc774\uc194<\/strong>).\u00a0 This drink is home-made and contains a concoction of traditional and supersitious beliefs.\u00a0 For example, I’ve heard that some people put a pinch of animal feces in the drinks.\u00a0 In some parts of rural Korea, animal feces are considered healthy and often used as fertilizer.\u00a0 In that case, I don’t really want to know what’s inside of a kkwi balki sol (\ub00c\ubc1d\uc774\uc194<\/strong>)!<\/p>\n Another interesting supersition is that of jeya (\uc81c\uc57c<\/strong>).\u00a0 Jeya (\uc81c\uc57c<\/strong>) is the custom of staying awake on sut dal ku mum (\uc123\ub2ec\uadf8\ubbd0<\/strong>) or New Year’s Eve.\u00a0 If the person doesn’t stay up until midnight of New Year’s Eve, it’s considered bad luck.\u00a0 The local legends all say that your eyebrows will turn white and you’ll age faster than normal.\u00a0 Since people hating aging, it’s a custom that people try not to put off.\u00a0 The custom of jeya (\uc81c\uc57c<\/strong>) is also carried out because it’s thought that being awake and welcoming the New Year will lead to a bright, healthy and happy life.\u00a0 Since this affects my future, I just stay awake until 12:00 am then go back to sleep at 12:01.<\/p>\n Another tradition involves a little story.\u00a0 There is a boogeyman in Korean folklore called Yakwanggy (\uc57d\uc655\uae30<\/strong>).\u00a0 Apparently Mr. Yakwanggy (\uc57d\uc655\uae30<\/strong>) likes to take trips to Korean households and steal their shoes.\u00a0 As a result, Korean people hide their shoes inside the house.\u00a0 Usually shoes are left outside of the door, but since Yakwanggy (\uc57d\uc655\uae30<\/strong>) is the dude stealing people’s shoes, it’s just not safe to leave the shoes outside.\u00a0 If your shoes are stolen, it’s considered bad luck.\u00a0 Shoes symbolize the means or paths to a goal or aspiration.\u00a0 If you no longer have the shoes you basically lack the means to carry out your New Year’s dreams.\u00a0 Here’s the funny part: to confuse Yakwangyy (\uc57d\uc655\uae30<\/strong>), people leave a noodle strainer outside of their doors.\u00a0 I guess Yakwanggy (\uc57d\uc655\uae30<\/strong>) is not the brightest goblin out there, because he sees the strainer and becomes enchanted by it.\u00a0 He spends all his time counting the individual nooks and recounts them because he gets confused.\u00a0 Then, finding that the sun is on the rise, Yakwanggy (\uc57d\uc655\uae30<\/strong>) runs away.\u00a0 Yakwanggy (\uc57d\uc655\uae30<\/strong>) is the posterchild for the dark so yeah, sun is not his thing.<\/p>\n So whatever your New Year’s rituals are, just remember, don’t take it too seriously and just go with it for the fun of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The New Year is a time of insecurity and doubt for some people.\u00a0 To ensure a successful year Korean people\u00a0may perform rituals that seem strange to Americans.\u00a0 Some of these rituals are performed out of habit.\u00a0 Some of them are performed to prevent misfortune.\u00a0 Whatever the reason, this post will be a combination of funny…<\/p>\n