January 1-2: New Year's Day Although Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year, New Year's Day on the solar calendar is also celebrated with a two-day legal holiday. Usually families eat rice cake soup at home on the first morning, and in the afternoon they start going to their elders' houses to pay their respects or greetings The first three days of the first month of the Lunar Calendar: Chinese New Year The Chinese New Year, along with the Mid-Autumn Festival, is one of the biggest festivals of the year for family reunions. On the morning of the Spring Festival, everyone dresses in their best clothes for the ancestor worship ceremony. After the ceremony the younger members of the family pay their respects to the elders and receive the New Year's money given by the elders. The family then sits around and eats rice cake soup, which Koreans consider to be one year older. In the afternoon, people visit each other's homes and relatives to pay their respects to friends and family. During the Lunar New Year, there are many folkloric activities such as dice games, kite flying, gyroscopes, and warabi.　　　　　Fifteenth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year: The Lantern Festival is the first full moon of the Lunar New Year, when farmers and fishermen pray for a good harvest and play special games. On the morning of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, families gather to eat peanuts and walnuts, which is believed to chase away the heat of the year. Since ancient times, Koreans have considered the night of the full moon mystical, especially the first full moon of the year. When the moon rises, people look at the full moon and pray, believing that their wishes will come true, and farmers pray for the year's harvest.　　　　　March 1: Trinity Day Commemorates the independence movement that rose on March 1, 1919 against Japanese rule.　　　　　April 5: Arbor Day A day to promote the greening of the country. On this day, government officials, teachers, students, and thousands of Koreans from all over the country plant trees under the government's reforestation program.　　　　　May 5: Children's Day Various celebrations are held for children to enjoy themselves with their parents.　　　　　The eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar: Buddha Bathing Day The eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar is the day of the birth of Sakyamuni, and Buddhist devotees hold special ceremonies and lantern festivals in temples. The day's celebrations culminate in a lantern parade.　　　　　The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar: the Dragon Boat Festival Since ancient times, after the end of rice-planting, farmers have prayed to the heavens for a day of rest for a good harvest, and it is also related to the story of Qu Yuan, a poet from the Chinese state of Chu. The Dragon Boat Festival is characterized by many folk activities such as wrestling (for men) and swinging (for women).　　　　　June 6: Hyeonchung Day The nation remembers the heroes who protected the nation on this day, and a memorial ceremony is held at the National Cemetery in Seoul.　　　　　First Volt The beginning of the three volts (the first, last and middle volts), and it is customary for Koreans to eat ginseng and chicken soup on the day of the volts in order to get through the hot summer months.　　　　　July 17: Constitution Day Commemorates the enactment of the 1948 Constitution of the Republic of Korea.　　　　 August 15: Gwangju Festival The Republic of Korea was proclaimed in 1945 when Japan signed the surrender agreement and Korea was liberated from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule. August 15-18, Lunar Calendar: Chuseok (or Mid-Autumn Festival) A program of harvest and thanksgiving, this is the biggest holiday in Korea, along with the Spring Festival, and is celebrated with a three-day holiday. On the morning of the first day, people put on new clothes and go to the cemetery to sweep the graves with offerings such as wine made from cereal and muffins, and in the evening, they are expected to ****enjoy the full moon and eat muffins.　　　　October 3: Kaiten Festival A festival commemorating the creation of the country in 2333 B.C. by the legendary Tangun.　　　　October 9: Hanjeongjeon commemorates the day when King Sejong, the 4th king of the Joseon Dynasty, created the writing system of the Korean language.　　　　December 22: Winter Solstice Also an important festival in the lunar calendar, the winter solstice is celebrated in Korea with the culinary custom of making winter solstice porridge using red beans.　　　　December 25: Christmas Korea's Christians and Catholics together make up between one-fifth and one-quarter of the country's population. Like in the West, Christians and non-Christians alike celebrate this holy day, as do Koreans and Koreans alike