We are almost at the end of the year 2021. A lot of issues happened this year. It could have been a long year for some people, and short for others. Either way, people will think about how to end a year and spend it with loved ones such as family, friends, and lovers. The end of the year 2021 also means the start of 2022, a new year. What are people around the world preparing for the end of the year? How do they spend the new year meaningfully? Let us learn about the culture of celebration for the end and the start of a year in Asian countries.
Igarashi An / Department of History Japan
How do you celebrate the end and the start of the year?
Oshogatsu (New Year’s Day) is the biggest holiday in Japan. December 31 is the offi cial holiday and many people enjoy holiday season until January 3. Japan has a lot of similar culture to Korea. We have joya no kane, which is the annual ringing of bells, on the night of New Year’s Eve. The difference is that we ring bells 108 times, unlike Korea. On December 31, we eat cold soba noodles called toshikoshi to wish for good luck in the year ahead. We also have ozoni, Japanese version of rice cake soup like tteokguk in Korea, and osechi, special kinds of bento, on the New Year’s Day.
Traditional games for Oshogatsu are takoage (kiting), karuta (card game), and hanetsuki (a game similar to badminton). Traditionally, we wear kimono and go hatsumode, which is visiting a shrine to pray for a good year. In the shrine, we also do omikuji, a type of fortune-telling. We pick a paper attached to strings and predict near future.
What is one thing that you want to recommend trying, or want to experience together with a Korean friend?
I think karuta is a really fun game to play. For the food, I recommend trying ozoni because although it is same rice cake soup, it is different from Korean tteokguk. It is very delicious, so I really hope Koreans can try ours.
How did you celebrate the New Year in Korea? Was there any cultural experience you were looking forward?
On the New Year’s day in Korea, I had a video call with my family and chat with them. It did not feel like a new year because Koreans work on December 31. Apart from the Lunar New Year’s Day, the actual New Year holiday was too short for me. I was also sad that they did not do the ringing of the bells this year due to COVID-19.
What is greeting for the end and the start of the year in your language?
For the end of the year, we would say, “良いお年をお迎え下さい”1) and “今年もお世話に なりました” 2). For the new year greetings, there are expressions like “あけましておめでとうございま す” 3) and “今年もよろしくお願いします” 4).
Azim Syahimi Bin Che Samsudin / Department of Biological Sciences Malaysia
How do you celebrate the end and the start of the year?
In Malaysia, people generally celebrate the new year on January 1. In a big city such as Kuala Lumpur, there are big fireworks and LED lights. Stores are open very late on that day for people to continue shopping. Trishaw, which is a light three-wheeled bike with a person pedaling at the front, is decorated very fancy on the New Year’s Day and many people drive around the city riding it. There are many races in Malaysia so there are many traditions as well. Chinese Malaysian celebration is more extravagant. I once saw dragon dance and ang-pau, the red envelope with money in to give to younger kids. They gather and eat together on the holiday. Muslims in Malaysia have their own holiday called Maal Hijrah and it follows Islamic calendar.
What is one thing that you want to recommend trying, or want to experience together with a Korean friend?
If you happen to be in Malaysia on the New Year’s Day, I recommend going to Kuala Lumpur and watch fireworks there. It is very huge, and some fireworks create unique scenery. Kuala Lumpur has a big twin tower and is a big city, so there will be many attractions to look around.
How did you celebrate the New Year in Korea? Was there any cultural experience you were looking forward?
I came to Korea last year. I stayed and spent the New Year here but I did not celebrate it much. I knew nothing about Korean New Year culture back then. For this time, I want to try wearing hanbok and play traditional games like yut nori.
What is greeting for the end and the start of the year in your language?
Selamat tahun baru! It basically translates as “Happy New Year”.
Ying Sean Teng Kassandra / Department of Biological Sciences China
How do you celebrate the end and the start of the year?
In China, I lived in Hong Kong, which is a really multicultural city that celebrates Chinese and even western holidays. Therefore, Christmas is also one of our biggest holidays like western countries. Public holidays are December 25 and 26, and January 1 but usually schools have Christmas holidays about two weeks or more for celebration at the end of the year. We celebrate not only Christmas, but also what we have done the whole year. The whole concept of Christmas and the end of the year usually go together.
We do similar things to the western families: Christmas dinner, Christmas cake, and Christmas presents. You can find gingerbread, cookies, candies, and Christmas tree in Christmas party. On the tree, people would hang their goals for next year or prayers. We also do the unboxing of Christmas presents and talk about what we have done over the year.
There are huge parades sponsored by many local companies such as airlines. Each sponsor companies use a parade car to promote themselves. They often show performance on the car. The Christmas parades are very famous and aired live, so the companies have preparation for months.
What is one thing that you want to recommend trying, or want to experience together with a Korean friend?
In my opinion, I think Koreans do not have a huge celebration for Christmas. When you have a really cold winter like in Korea, it is more likely to be a White Christmas. Even though they do not have a long holiday for it, I hope Korean, and my university friends, try to enjoy more of Christmas culture like exchanging gifts.
How did you celebrate the New Year in Korea? Was there any cultural experience you were looking forward?
I gathered with friends from my hometown like we usually do in China. We had a Christmas cake, played some Christmas songs at home, and hung out together. I could not get together with my family because they are not here.
What is greeting for the end and the start of the year in your language?
In Cantonese, we say 新年快樂 (Happy New Year). We also say, “Happy Christmas and New Year” in English. These two will go together in the same sentence.
By Ji Yeon-woo, Reporter / jyw1925@konkuk.ac.kr