By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Cintia Mancilla from Argentina
Photos = Cintia Mancilla

Seollal (Lunar New Year), the first day of the lunar calendar and one of Korea's top two holidays, falls on Feb. 5 this year.

Before I explain how we celebrate the new year in Argentina, let me tell two stories I saw in Korean dramas that taught me a bit about Korea's Lunar New Year holiday.

During Seollal, Koreans wish for good luck in the new year, and 2019 is expected to be especially lucky in the Year of the Golden Pig according to the Asian zodiac. The animal has traditionally symbolized good fortune and wealth in Korean culture.

While watching an episode of "The Sound of Your Heart: Reboot" (Season 1, Episode 8), the main character Seok wakes up from a strange dream featuring pigs; his girlfriend Ae-bong says she dreamed about them, too. She then tells him to buy a lottery ticket fast since dreaming of pigs is said to be an omen of good luck in Korea.

Coincidentally, in another Korean drama I'd watched earlier, the episode was about Seollal and how the holiday is celebrated in the countryside.

Episode 10 of "Heaven’s Garden" shows a family sitting together around the table eating tteokguk (sliced rice cake soup). The mother Jung Jae-in encourages her daughters to eat a lot of the soup to grow up faster. At that moment, her youngest Hyun-soo says, "If I eat another four bowls, I'll become the eldest sister," but later wonders why Koreans always eat tteokguk on New Year's Day. Her grandfather Jung Boo-Sik replies with the following touching answer:

"Because it's a new year, a time for us to start everything anew. And because this is the first meal of the first day, the white rice cake symbolizes purity and innocence, so we accept the new year faithfully."

He adds that eating the dish can also mean a longer life because tteokguk is believed to reward the person with an extra year. That made me think of how a simple and humble dish can give motivation to start a new year with hope.

This episode also features many Seollal traditions such as sebae (bowing), folk games like yutnori and gifts. The family depicted in this episode also shows how Koreans in small towns in the countryside tend to keep traditions intact.

So now, let me explain how we celebrate New Year's Eve in Argentina. Like most of the world, Argentina marks New Year's Eve on Dec. 31 and considers Jan. 1 the first day of the new year. New Year's Day, Christmas and Semana Santa (Holy Week) are the three major holidays in my country.

In Latin America, family is hugely important and people there usually celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve at home, not in public places like in other countries. New Year's Eve dinner starts at 8 or 9 p.m., with the most popular foods on that day being the appetizer empanadas or picada (meat and cheese platter) and the main dish asado (barbecue), though some prefer oven roasted turkey or pork.

Side dishes include ensalada rusa (Olivier salad) and vitel toné (vitello tonnato). For dessert, Argentines like ice cream or fruit salad since December is summer in the country and we need to eat food that keeps us cool.



While waiting for the New Year's Eve countdown on TV, we play music and dance on a day full of joy and excitement. When the clock is about to strike midnight, we set the table with a bottle of sidra (carbonated alcoholic cider) along with sweet snacks like nougat, peanuts, almonds and raisins. After the countdown is over and the new year arrives, we greet and wish everyone around us a happy new year with a little kiss on the cheek, followed by a toast to having a great year.

Fireworks fly everywhere and some people light and launch sky lanterns. I don’t know when this tradition started but I do remember following these lanterns as a kid with other children and trying to catch one when it was about to land on the ground. Catching a lantern is supposed to bring good luck but unfortunately, I never did.

I also recall how sad I was when we couldn't light up the lanterns because I truly believed that the higher the lanterns rose with my wishes inscribed on them, the higher the chances of my dreams coming true.

I think we all need to occasionally lean on something to give us an extra glimmer of hope for our dreams and desires.

Korea is luckier than Argentina in that Koreans get to celebrate the new year twice. All the best in 2019!

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.