Due to its predominantly Buddhist population, Korea has never officially recognized Christmas as a holiday for many years. It was just a decade ago when only a few homes put up Christmas trees, and only the biggest stores decorated their interiors with lights during December, which was of the plain uncolored variety back then. It is only recently that this major Christian holiday has been celebrated in Korea, if only for its commercial aspects. Perhaps it is the increase in disposable income that has led to its popularity.

Gift-giving is an interesting ritual in Korea, as money is he most popular form of gift, given during Christmas, birthdays, and anniversaries. Actual presents are starting to be given in recent years, but money is still widely used as presents. Christmas dinner is very Korean in nature, with plenty of kimchi, red bean paste, and spicy dishes. Korean barbeque is a popular choice of viand during this festive occassion.

One of the earliest and grandest adopters of Christmas in Korea are the theme parks.

Everland in Pogok-myeon, Yongin-si Gyeonggi-do, for instance, starts switching to a yuletide theme by November. The highlight of the festivities is the lighting up a giant Christmas tree at a specific hour by setting off a bunch of fireworks, then lighting over a thousand smaller trees afterwards. There is also an Everland Snow Sledding Slopes to give visitors a complete winter experience, as well as Snowbuster, their newest sledding facility that was inspired by the ski villages of Switzerland. Snowbuster features many sledding stages of varying levels of difficulty, including the Eiger ski sled, a thrilling 520-meter slope for the most adventurous snow riders. A short subway ride away, Seoul Lotte World in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, leads a twice-daily Christmas parade with some 200 Santa Clauses (so THAT’S how he visits houses all over the world in one night!) People can enjoy the Lotte World Ice Rink after the parade, while artificial snow drifts downward from overhead snow fans. In Seoul Land, snowmen dressed in traditional outfits from around the world live in a special village of their own, while a Christmas musical is performed at the Main Plaza Fountain.

There is a frenzy of activity during the Korean winter, even if the occassion isn’t Christmas in nature. The Namsangol Winter Retreat Festival, held during the first weeks of November, celebrates the storage of kimchi and other traditional winter preparations known as Woldong (wintering). Woldong activities include traditional Korean dances, samullori (Korean string quartet), stage musicals, and doll and flower arrangement based on winter themes.

The winter season is also perfect for climbing a frozen Mount Hallasan in Jeju Island, South Korea’s tallest mountain. The straightforward hike to the top brings a view of the glorious snowfields coating the countryside alongside the waters surrounding Jeju Island. You can also enjoy Korea’s famous Taebaek Snow Festival, with its one-of-a-kind snow train tour and thousands of snow-covered yew trees, and Daegwalryeong Snow Festival. In Taebaek Mountain, snow sculptures abound to the delight of the young and old. If you wish for a warm Christmas in this snow-covered land, why not try the Duksan Spa Castle, a water park that uses hot spring water to power their exhilarating rides and their Bade Pool water massage system. You can even enjoy a glass of beer while swimming in the hot springs.

Winter is also ski season, and whether its High1 Ski Resort or Korea’s longest slopes in world-class Yongpyong (featured in the popular drama Winter Sonata), the white powder is perfect for sliding down the picturesque mountainsides. The amazing thing about Korean ski slopes is that it was converted from hills that are too low and thickly forested with weather that is too dry. It is a feat of engineering and creativity to construct quality ski resorts in such terrain.

When packing for a winter in South Korea, remember to bring a warm winter jacket and other cold-weather gear, as it gets very cold. You can purchase a chemical-reaction hand heater  (soun-nallo) from any pencil shop or school supplies store in the city. It has a small metal disc suspended in a liquid contained in a thick plastic bag. When you bend the disc, a chemical reaction crystallizes the liquid, causing it to emit heat. It acts as a convenient hand warmer you can stow in your pocket, and best of all, it can be reused by placing the object in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Posted in Events, Korea

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