Korea has its own specialties in literature and art. Koreans are known for their love of music and dance. Modern Korean music can be broadly categorized into "folk music" and "Western music". Folk music can be further categorized into "elegant music" and "folk music". Korean dances, centered on folk dances and court dances, are colorful and varied. Korean drama originated from prehistoric religious ceremonies and consists of five main types: masks, puppet shows, musicals, singing, and drama. Among them, the mask, also known as the "Mask Dance," is a symbol of Korean culture and plays an extremely important role in traditional Korean theater. Main article: Korean language
Korea borrowed Chinese characters as a writing tool before the 19th century, and in the 15th century King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty sent his men to complete the "Jongmyo," a book that created a brand-new phonetic alphabet based on the external type of Chinese characters. Proverbs did not become an official script for centuries, as the official nobles of the upper class of Joseon and the texts of official books were still written in Chinese. Proverbs was resisted by both classes because it was used mostly by the uneducated Korean population. It was not until the annexation of Korea by Japan in the early twentieth century that Proverbs gradually became the main writing instrument of the Korean people. At the end of World War II, after the division of Korea into two Koreas, Korea abolished Chinese characters for a time (the purification of the national language), but due to the inconvenience caused by pinyin, basic education in Chinese characters was restored in order to distinguish the different meanings of homophonic words.
Some 10 percent of the language is inherently Korean, 69 percent is a variation of Chinese, another 10 percent is a variation of English, and the rest is a variation of other languages. The Korean language is basically the same as the Korean language, but it differs slightly in pronunciation and foreign words as well as in some of its grammar and word usage, which is particularly prominent in pronunciation and foreign words. For political reasons, the Korean Peninsula has been divided between the North and the South for a long time after the Civil War, which has led to differences in the languages of the North and the South, mainly in terms of accent and word usage. Korean food is characterized by kimchi culture, and kimchi is indispensable for three meals a day. Korea's traditional dishes of barbecued pork, kimchi and cold noodles have become world-famous.
Korea has a variety of diets, and since its past was in an agrarian society, the staple food has been rice-based since ancient times. The Korean diet consists of a variety of vegetables, meat, and fish*** together. Various fermented preserved foods such as kimchi (fermented spicy cabbage), seafood paste (salted seafood), and soybean paste (fermented soybeans) are known for their nutritional value and special flavor.
The Korean diet consists of daily meals that are repeated every day, foods that are served at ceremonies that are necessary throughout one's life, foods that are served at harvest festivals to pray for a good year and a good fishery, foods that are served at tribal festivals to pray for the safety of the tribe, and foods that are served at festivals to commemorate those who have passed away. Seasonal foods are also prepared according to the seasons, utilizing the foods of the season. January 1, New Year's Day (New Year's Day).
January 2 is a national holiday.
The first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, also known as the Lunar New Year in folklore, is the Spring Festival.
March 1, the anniversary of the Korean Independence Movement. It commemorates the March 1, 1919 Trinity Movement against Japanese colonial rule.
April 5, Arbor Day. On this day, government officials, teachers, students and thousands of Koreans across the country plant trees under the government's reforestation program.
April 8, Birthday of Sakyamuni. Buddhists and other nationals celebrate this holiday to commemorate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama.
May 5, Children's Day. Various celebrations are held on this day for children to have fun with their parents.
May 8, Parents' Day. This is a day for parents, established to carry on and develop traditional filial piety.
May 15, Teachers' Day. On this day, students give flowers or other small gifts to their teachers, or they all treat their teachers to dinner together. Teachers are given special respect by the community on this day.
The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Influenced by Chinese culture, Korea also has a Dragon Boat Festival, the Korean Dragon Boat Festival customs are mainly rituals, plays, amusements, etc., with distinctive national characteristics. Among them, the "Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival" is the most well-preserved, and on November 25, 2005, the "Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival" was designated by UNESCO as an Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
August 15 is the Day of Restoration, the day in 1945 when the Korean Peninsula gained independence from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.
Mid-Autumn Festival (or Harvest Festival), 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Passed down from China, this is one of the most important national festivals of the year. Feasts are set up on this day, families hold memorial ceremonies at the family graveyard, and enjoy the moon together in the evening.
On the third day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar, Kaiten Festival. This is the day on which the legendary Tangun founded Korea in 2333 BC.
October 9, Korean Language Day. A day established to commemorate the promulgation of the Jungmyun Jungmyun, which popularized the national language of the Korean Peninsula, by King Sejong Lee of Joseon in 1446.