KOREA FOUNDATION

The year 2018 has begun with high hopes. In Korea, the New Year is welcomed by the ringing of a bell, the jeya-eui jong, at midnight. Jeya is the Korean word for the last night of December, and jeya-eui jong thus means “the bell that rings on New Year’s Eve.”On New Year’s Day, people watch the first sunrise of the year at scenic spots around the nation and many eat tteokguk, sliced rice cake soup.
  The bell ringing takes place at the Bosingak Pavilion, in downtown Seoul, where citizens toll the bell 33 times as the clock strikes midnight on December 31. The ceremony has been observed since 1953. The present bell at the Bosingak Pavilion in Seoul’s Jongno district was created with funds raised by the public. It was first tolled on August 15, 1985, the day that Koreans on both sides of the 38th parallel commemorate the peninsula’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. The previous bell at the pavilion had been cast in 1468. It was seriously damaged during the Japanese invasion of the Korean Peninsula in the late 15th century and again during the Korean War in the mid-20th century. On December 31, 1984, it was tolled for the last time and then moved to the National Museum of Korea for protection and preservation.
  The Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony originated from a practice during the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910) of tolling the bell twice a day, once to open the four big and four small gates of the capital city at 4 a.m. and another time to close them again at 10 p.m. The pavilion was initially named Jonggak, but in 1895, it was renamed Bosingak. The name change was accompanied by changes in the bell-ringing schedule to noon and midnight. In 1929, when Japan was ruling Korea, the Japanese-operated Gyeongseong Broadcasting Station aired the tolling of the jeya-eui jong live in a special program marking the New Year. That’s how Koreans came to learn more about the bell-ringing custom.
  Other countries have their own unique New Year traditions. In Spain, it is customary to eat a dozen grapes when the clock strikes midnight to ring in the New Year. That’s because it is widely believed that if you eat a grape for each strike, 12 grapes in total for the 12 months, your life will be happy and prosperous all year long.
  In Colombia, people who plan to travel in the New Year walk around their neighborhoods, pulling their suitcases with them. In Paraguay, people, regardless of their age or gender, refrain from cooking hot food and instead eat cold dishes on the last five days of December. When they hear the bell toll upon the arrival of the New Year, they cook their first warm meal again to welcome the new year. The tradition of eating cold dishes dates back to the 17th century when Paraguayans fought against Spanish colonial rule. Back then, people kept on fighting iron-willed for the final five days of the year, although they lacked sufficient food and ammunition. Reinforcements arrived on New Year’s Day and helped beat the Spanish aggressors. With their tradition of eating cold dishes as the year ends, Paraguayans commemorate the historic battle.
  The way of greeting the New Year may differ from culture to culture, but all cultures and countries seem to share the custom of forging new plans and wishing for good fortune in the New Year. We hope our readers will have a New Year full of hope that dispels all worries and fears.
  Happy New Year from the Korea Foundation!

Written by Woo Ji-won