Lunar New Year Macarthur, General Douglas
894 Lunar New Year The lunar New Year, known as 561, W6ndan, W6ni! or Cbongch '0, is one of the most important holidays in Korea. During this holiday, there are traffic jams throughout the country as people rush to see their family and relatives. On the morning of Lunar New Year, people don traditional dress (hanbok). Various foods and wine are prepared, and then set in front of an ancestral tablet. The table is meticulously arranged according to Confucian tradition; however, many families also have their own traditions governing details of the arrangement. In general, fish is put on the east, meat on the west, fruit in front, rice and soup behind and liquor on the front table. A ceremony is then held during which the male family members pay respect to their deceased ancestors up to the fourth generation by making three full bows. Family members also visit the graves of their deceased ancestors. On this holiday, after cutting the grass from around the grave, they make a simple offering and then bow three times. In addition to paying respect to the deceased, each family member is expected to make two formal bows to his or her elders. According to custom, the elders then give the person a gift of money, particularly if the person is a child. Special foods are prepared for this holiday. In particular, rice-cake soup is typically served instead ofrice. For this reason, the question 'How many bowls of rice-cake soup have you eaten?' is sometimes used to ask one's age. In North Korea and China, mandu (dumpling) soup is often eaten instead.
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