@TheMusingGirlSA / tvN / JYP Entertainment
It's the most wonderful time of the year once again and the world is filled with festive cheer. As universal as the Christmas holiday has become, it is a holiday that is celebrated differently by various cultures around the world. The same can be said for how the holiday is spent in South Korea.
Korea has a very unique Christmas culture that those who are unfamiliar with the country might not know about.
Whereas Christmas can be a religious or familial occasion in some parts of the world, in Korea it is considered a day for fun and romance. Let's take a deeper look at the K-Christmas culture and the Christmas traditions it has adopted.
The Meaning of Christmas to Most of the World
Religious beliefs associated with Christmas in many parts of the world
Christmas' origin stems from the Christian faith and commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Observed as a celebration of his birth, the occasion led to the annual honoring of the date at a Christian festival.
Today, Christmas is the most widely celebrated holiday in the world regardless of religion. In fact, figures such as Santa Clause have become prominent figures associated with the holiday. As of October 2022, it is believed that 165 countries in the world celebrate Christmas. This includes South Korea. However, it is not considered a major holiday.
Christmas as a family holiday and some popular Christmas traditions worldwide
Christmas originally started as a Christian festival. However, with time it became a family holiday celebrated by all regardless of whether they are Christians or not.
Some of the most popular countries in the world known for Christmas include Germany which is famous for its lavish and festive Christmas markets and fairs, Scotland which is famous for its markets and beautiful Christmas light displays, Finland for its picturesque snowy landscapes, and many more.
Globally, some common Christmas traditions include decorating a Christmas tree, exchanging gifts/cards with friends and family, eating turkey, baking Christmas cookies, making gingerbread houses, opening daily advent calendars, and more.
These traditions are not as common in South Korea unless people specifically want to practice them. For example, some Korean skincare companies have adopted the advent calendar concept as a way to market their product and increase sales around the Christmas period.
Some unique Christmas traditions by specific cultures/countries include Venezuelans rollerskating to Christmas mass service, the construction of a giant Yule Goat made of straw in Sweden, etc.
This raises the question, how is Christmas spent in South Korea?
The Meaning of Christmas in Korea
Religious beliefs in Korea
South Korea is one of the countries that celebrate Christmas mostly for the fun of the festive season than for religious reasons.
To better understand this, it is good to take a look at the religions that make up the Korean population.
In the past, Korea was a mostly Confucian society with a smaller percentage of Buddhists among the population. This was before missionaries from Western countries went to spread the word of Christianity in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty.
Currently, the South Korean population is believed to be mostly atheist with Buddhism following as the next biggest religion and Christianity as the third most popular religion (according to a census study conducted in 2015 by the Korean Statistical Information Service - KOSIS).
This might play a large role in why Christmas is not considered to be widely observed in Korea. Instead, the holiday has become one of the busiest commercial times of the year and takes on a new meaning.
How Christmas has evolved from an uncommon celebration to become a popular holiday in Korea
As Christmas is not considered a major holiday in Korea, the holiday is currently assigned as an alternative public holiday. This means that if it falls on the weekend, no extra days off are given to employees or students.
Christmas in Korea is best known as a romantic day for couples (especially young couples) to spend with their significant other.
Whilst there are a fair number of families in Korea who spend the Christmas holidays together, especially those with Christian beliefs, the majority of Koreans use the holiday as a romantic or simply a rest day. For the romantics, this includes exchanging gifts with your partner and spending time together on the day.
There are, however, Christmas masses held for Christians who celebrate the holiday, too.
On Christmas day, you can often see many Korean couples on a sweet date such as in these scenes from the K-Dramas "She Would Never Know" and "Link: Eat, Love, Kill" below.
Regardless of the holiday's romantic sentiment, many single people choose to make the most out of the day by spending time with their friends such as in the drama "Work Later, Drink Now", as well.
As you can see above, despite being celebrated in a slightly different way, Christmas still bears all of the traditional trimmings of the holiday in Korea. Walking down the street, one can still see Christmas trees, flashy lights, symbols of Santa Clause, and even snowmen surrounding them.
K-Media and K-Travel as part of Christmas Traditions
K-Drama/K-Film representations of Christmas
As we've stated, Christmas still bears the regular festive spirit in Korea despite holding a slightly different meaning. You can spot all of this symbolism (snowmen, lights, Christmas trees) in K-Dramas and K-Films from time to time.
However, whilst many parts of the world produce Christmas-focused series or films, Korea does not have as many Christmas-themed works in its collective filmography.
You might notice Christmas as a theme in a portion of a drama or for a few scenes like the ones we've shown above, playing more of a background role. For example, you might spot some common Christmas traditions in K-Dramas such as going ice skating/sledding or even Christmas shopping. However, they have yet to have a targeted focus on the holiday film/drama market.
This is not to say that these productions don't exist. There are some holiday-themed K-Dramas and K-Films that you can watch such as the web drama "4 Reasons Why I Hate Christmas" (Christmas - 2019), the K-Drama "Will It Snow for Christmas?" (Christmas - 2009), and the K-Film "New Year Blues" (New Years - 2021).
K-Pop Christmas releases
The Christmas season in Korea is also renowned for the release of Christmas music by some of the top musicians and K-Pop artists in the industry.
Be it a special year-end/Christmas concert or fan meeting, a special festive medley or cover, a special performance, or even a collaboration between K-Pop artists from different companies or the same agency; Christmas is a big part of the year for K-Pop artists in terms of musical releases.
This year alone, there have been several Christmas covers and songs released by K-Pop artists such as Red Velvet x aespa's 'Beautiful Christmas' (watch here), ITZY's 'Snowy' Christmas version (watch here), NMIXX's 'Funky Glitter Christmas' (watch here), MAMAMOO MoonByul's ' PRESENT' (watch here), and MIRAE's 'Snow Prince' (watch here). These are only a few examples.
Christmas tourism: Searching for Christmas lights and more
Christmas tourism has become huge in South Korea as large landmarks around various cities get decorated with Christmas trees and lights. There are even annual light festivals and displays at public spaces like department stores that Koreans and tourists look forward to seeing every year.
Many look forward to being able to take the perfect festive picture in front of the grand displays surrounding the city. This is yet another of Korea's Christmas traditions.
IG: @TheMusingGirlSA
What do you think of Christmas traditions in South Korea? Do you have any special Christmas traditions from your country/culture that you would like to share with others? What are your plans this Christmas? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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