Happy 설날 - 새해 복많이 받으세요!

It's the Korean Lunar New Year here, called 설날 (Seollal) - (yes, Shar, the "n" sound is silent). It's a three day celebration and considered the biggest holiday of the year. It's celebrated on the second full moon after the winter solstice, this year February 14th. Most people travel to be with their families and prepare large amounts of traditional foods. Also, there are several ancestral rituals they perform to remember their past, most notably one called 차레 (Charyae) where a table is filled with food for the ancestors, followed by services of remembrance. Many people also wear the traditional Korean clothing called 한복(Han-bok).

Also, young people practice the 세배 (Say-bay), where they recite the new year's saying "새해 복많이 받으세요" (say-hay bok moni bot deu say-yo) to and elder and receive a small gift - usually the equivalent of 5 or 10 dollars. The words mean something close to, "have good luck and health in the new year."

Meanwhile, I get a long weekend!

Stay shiny