Events

During the Lunar New Year (Solnal), on the first day of the first moon, you can expect not only Seoul but the whole country to grind to a halt. It's probably a good opportunity to head off to the Korean Folk Village or the Seoul Nori Madang to view the special performances of traditional dances or wedding services. The Buddha's Birthday, or Feast of the Lanterns, is on the eighth day of the fourth moon, and falls around April-May in the Western calendar. There's an evening lantern parade from Youido Plazato Chogyesa Temple, starting around 6.30 p.m.

Korean Thanksgiving (Ch'usok) is also known as the Harvest Moon Festival, and falls on the 15th day of the eighth month, around September-October. It is the most important of South Korea's lunar holidays, and Seoul becomes almost deserted as most city dwellers head back to their family homes. They prepare offerings for the ancestral tombs and prepare for an evening of gazing at the moon.

A few other festivals worth looking for are the Sokchonje, staged twice a year in the Confucius Shrine at Sungkyunkwan University in northern Seoul. A traditional court orchestra performs and full costume rituals are enacted. Similarly, full costume parades are held at the Chyongmyo T'aeje, the Royal Shrine Rites in the Chongymo Shrine on the first Sunday in May. A somewhat more in your face experience is Armed Forces Day, with big military parades, aerial acrobatics and honor guard ceremonies on Youido Island.