The year 2014 has a total of 67 holidays, the most holidays in a year in 12 years. The students will have plenty of time to escape from school. To have meaningful holidays, let’s first get to know what holidays are.
Holidays can be divided into traditional holidays like Chuseok and national holidays like Gaechonjol (National FoundationDay). This time, ST did research on the national holidays that are deeply related to Korean history. National holidays are the dates that the government set by law as special dates for nationwide celebration. Samiljeol (Independence Movement Day), Gwangbokjeol (National Liberation Day), and Gaechonjol (National Foundation Day) have been designated as national holidays. These holidays are the five major national holidays of South Korea.
March 1 (Samiljeol or Independence Movement Day)
Samiljeol is one of the top five national holidays of South Korea. On this day,the South Korean people celebrate the event in which the whole nation carried out peaceful protests against the Japanese colonial rule and declared the independence of Korea to the world. That event occurred on March 1, 1919. Samiljeol became a national holiday in 1949.
On Samiljeol, South Koreans of various groups gather to celebrate. The Restoration Society, which consists of family membersof deceased patriots and patriotic activists, holds an assembly in Tapgol Park to commemorate the meaning of the day. Other households, for their part, raise national flags on this day.
Tip: Old palaces and royal gardensare open for free on Samiljeol, and The Restoration Society members can use the buses and subway for free.
June 6 (Hyeonchungil or Memorial Day)
Hyeonchungil is the day when the whole nation gives respects to the souls of all the fallen heroes and soldiers who died protecting their homeland. When enacted as a national holiday, Memorial Day was only for the people killed in the Korean War. Now, on this holiday, every South Korean who gave up his or her life for the country receives due respect from the public. At 10 in the morning on every Hyeonchungil, the siren rings for 1 minute, and the people observe a minute’s silence in memory of those who had died for their country. Hyeonchungil was designated a national holiday
in 1956.
Tip: June is the month of patriots and veteran affairs, with Memorial Dayfalling on June 6and the Korean War and the Yeonpyeong sea battle commemorated on June 25 and 29, respectively.
August 15 (Gwangbokjeol or National Liberation Day)
With the end of World War II when Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, Korea became independent. Three years later, on August 15, 1948,the government of the Republic of Korea was established. National Liberation Day is the day when Korea’s liberation from the Japanese colonial rule and the establishment of the South Korean government are commemorated. The word Gwangbok means “restoration of light” and “recovery of lost national rights.” Each and every house
in South Korea raises a national flag to celebrate the country’s liberation. The South Korean government designated Gwangbokjeol a national holiday on November 1, 1949.
Tip: Old palaces and royal parks are open for free on Gwangbokjeol.
October 3 (Gaechonjol or National Foundation Day)
Gaechonjol celebrates Korea’s first kingdom, Gojoseon. Since the ancient times, there have been many ways of celebrating the foundation of the nation-state. Today’s Gaechonjol is the day when the people give thanks to the heavens for the new birth of South Korea as a civilized culture. The original date of Gaechonjol was October 3 on the lunar calendar. In 1949, however, when Gaechonjol was designated a national holiday, the government set National Foundation Day on
October 3 on the solar calendar.
October 9 (Hangulnal or Hangul Proclamation Day)
Hungulnal is observed every October 9, and it celebrates King Sejong the Great’s proclamation of the Korean alphabet, Hangul, in 1446. Hangulnal also encourages the research on and spread of Hangul. After 480 years from the first Hangul proclamation, Hangulnal was founded in 1926. The original name for Hangulnal was Gagyanal. Gagyanal was renamed Hangulnal in 1928. Hangulnal lost its position as a legal holiday in 2006 but regained it in 2013.
These national holidays are special and meaningful enough for the government to set them as national holidays. It is good to enjoy and have a day off from work or school, but it will be more meaningful when you think of the people who contributed to making those special days our holidays. Let’s give our hearty thanks to them.
