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| ▲ This file photo shows the Lunar New Year event held at Unhyeongug Royal Residence. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This file photo shows children playing traditional Korean games. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Yonhap) – A number of exclusive cultural and artistic programs, each full in sound and color, will be held during the Lunar New Year holidays, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Tuesday.
Namsangol Hanok Village will hold the “2023 Namsangol Lunar New Year Festival” from Jan. 21 to 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. The Festival will provide opportunities for visitors to enjoy rich Korean traditional experiences, including various Korean traditional performances such as Gil-nori and Pan-gut, traditional bow and snack making, and family motto writing.
Meanwhile, Unhyeongung Royal Residence will carry out a “New Year’s Folk Hanmadang” over the same days: The “Rice Cake Soup Sharing Madang” will be held on Jan. 22 at 12:30 p.m., along with opportunities to make traditional tops, Korean paper socks, and daeng-gi – a traditional ribbon used to tie up and decorate braided hair.
Donuimun Museum Village also plans to run seven different cultural experience programs during the holidays, including “Making Maejap-gwa” and “Making a Lucky Bag” programs; a special exhibition titled “Catch the Rabbit!” will be held at the Seodamun Inn, along with an event of coloring rabbits and writing words of blessing for the New Year.
The Seoul Museum of History will hold a special “Lunar New Year’s Day Hanmadang” at the Museum Square on Jan. 21 from noon to 4 p.m., during which “Traditional Samulnori, Kinori, and Jukbubulnori” will be held twice at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.; there will also be a horse-riding archery competition for 20 family teams to join and compete.
On the same day, Seoul Hanseong Baekje Museum will be running the “2023 Big Museum Party on the New Year’s Day” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., during which Pungmul – a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing – and lion play will be performed for 30 minutes each at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
The Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music is planning to open its own New Year festival from Jan. 21 to 24; on the first day, Daegum player Song Kyung-ho’s “Sound Concert for New Year’s Blessings” is scheduled to be held at the Numaru in the Museum at 2 p.m.
The Seoul Museum of Art and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will open during the Lunar New Year holidays; the Seoul Plaza Ice Skating Rink will also be renovated to welcome the New Year with wish trees, photo stands, and traditional experience zones, along with Yut Nori play zone, all decorated under the theme of “Hanyang Play of Black Rabbit.”
Gwanghwamun Square Market will also be creating a photo spot using New Year’s greetings, where dried persimmons and cookies with lucky bags will be sold. Seoul tourist landmark snowballs will be handed out to those who take a picture of the lucky rabbit and a huge lucky bag exhibited at the Square, post it on their social media accounts, and then show it to the general information center next to the statue of King Sejong; the snowball will be provided to the first 100 people on a first-come, first-served basis.
Choi Kyung-joo, the head of the Seoul City Culture Division, said, “Along with the Lunar New Year holiday events the city has prepared, I wish everyone a successful and powerful year like the jumping rabbit.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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