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	Lunar New Year for Koreans

	Koreans used the lunar calendar for many centuries prior to the official adoption of the Western-style calendar during the Japanese colonial period. They prefer to celebrate the New Year according to the lunar calendar because it is part of their traditional life. The lunar New year is a national holiday on which family members dress in their best clothes and exchange bows. The younger members bow to their elders, offering them best wishes in the new year, and older family members bow in return, offering gifts of freshly minted money and advice. Then they visit neighbors and respected elders in the village, offering new year's greetings.

	Jishin Balpgi, literally meaning "Stepping on the Spirit of the Earth," is a traditional folk festival celebrating the beginning of the Lunar New Year in the Korean calendar dating back 4329 years. Its origins can be traced back to one of many collective village activities that symbolize the ritual cleansing of the village and the chasing away of bad spirits. While the festival ushers in peace, health and prosperity for the New Year, the duration of the event itself is a period of renewing personal ties and fostering a greater sense of community among the villagers.

	During the Jishin Balpgi festival, a group of Poongmul (Korean drums) players called the Durepae, first travels around the village playing on the Jang-go (hourglass-shaped drum), Buk (the drum), Kwenggari (small gong) and Jing (large gong). This is followed by visits to private dwellings to wish residents peace and good fortunes for the new year through a mixture of drumming, dance and chants which everyone is encouraged to join in. In return, the hosts offer rice cakes and wine to the group and make a general donation that is used for the betterment of the entire village. In the evening, all the people gather at the Madang (the center of the village), to revel under the first full moon of the lunar New Year. As the villagers eat, drink and play games together, they reaffirm their common bond.

	Jishin Balpgi was celebrated across the North American continent, in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, and New York. In doing so, Koreans are seeking to revitalize an important part of the Korean cultural tradition. And in the face of great economic, social and political hardships and obstacles, festivals such as Jishin Balpgi are an important way for Korean immigrant communities to gain strength and encouragement. Out of such efforts, the next generation of Koreans, as the guardians of our culture, may develop a rich and healthy sense of their identity, history and culture.

	Though Korea has long since accepted the international convention of the solar year, traditional observances, based on the lunar cycle, still command considerable allegiance. The official New Year's Day is January 1, but the lunar equivalent, which shifts around in the solar calendar, is designated as "Solnal." As a result, many Koreans cheerfully celebrate New Year's twice...not a bad idea!

	Memorial service

	In both cases, the festivities retain some of the traditional trappings. The most visible is the donning of formal, traditional dress (Hanbok) for saebae, offering New Year's greetings to one's elders. A classic New Year's Day (or Solnal) begins with a memorial service for one's ancestors. After the service, the entire family share a special New Year's breakfast, don their finest silks and perform 'saebae.'

	The younger family members present themselves to their parents and grandparents, in turn, and offer a prolonged bow...from a standing position all the way down to the floor. This is accompanied by the universal New Year's greeting: "Say-hay boke mahn-he pah-du-say-oh." The elders return the favor by giving cakes, fruit or money.

	Saebae
		The younger family members present themselves to their parents and grandparents, in turn, and offer a prolonged bow...from a standing position all the way down to the floor. This is accompanied by the universal New Year's greeting: "Say-hay boke mahn-he pah-du-say-oh." The elders return the favor by giving cakes, fruit or money.

	Seesawing
		Once the serious business of bowing has been dealt with, New Year's is a Day for play. The traditional diversions are yut ("yoot"), seesawing, largely reserved for girls; shuttlecock kicking and kite-flying (for boys); and, most of all, the "farmer's dance," a raucous stomp conducted to the clatter of gongs and the beat of drums. In rural areas, an ad hoc dance troupe will often form to make the circuit of the town, demanding refreshments in exchange for their services. All comers are welcome, and it's a grand way to kick the new year into gear.