🟠 Talking About Korean Festivals | Intermediate Level (TOPIK 3–4)
🎑 Cultural Immersion: Talking About Korean Festivals & Holidays
Do you know the difference between Seollal and Chuseok? Teacher Hoon guides you through the essential vocabulary and Cultural Expressions needed to discuss Korea's most important traditions like a local.
More Than Just a Day Off (EEAT Tip)
In Korea, 명절 (Myeong-jeol) isn't just a holiday—it's a time for family duty and ancestral respect. As a teacher with 20 years of experience, I see many intermediate students use generic words like 'party.' To reach TOPIK Level 4, you must master specific terms like 성묘 (visiting graves) and 차례 (ancestral rites). Let's look at the "Big Four" festivals.
📑 Tap to view Festival Roadmap
1. The "Big Four" Korean Festivals
- 🧧 설날 (Seollal): Lunar New Year. We wear Hanbok, perform Sebae (bows to elders), and eat Tteokguk (rice cake soup) to "grow" a year older.
- 🌾 추석 (Chuseok): Harvest Festival. The "Korean Thanksgiving." We make Songpyeon and thank ancestors for a fruitful year.
- 🏮 정월대보름 (Daeboreum): First Full Moon. We crack nuts (Bureom) to ward off skin problems and eat five-grain rice.
- 💃 단오 (Dano): Early Summer Festival. Traditionally a day for women to wash their hair in Iris water and ride swings.
2. Essential "Myeong-jeol" Vocabulary
- 🏛️ 조상 / 조상님 (Jo-sang) - Ancestors
- ⛰️ 성묘하다 (Seong-myo-hada) - To visit and care for ancestral graves
- 🙇 세배하다 / 세뱃돈 (Se-bae) - To perform a New Year's bow / Bow money
- 🥘 전통 음식 (Jeon-tong eum-sik) - Traditional holiday foods (Songpyeon, Jeon)
- 🚗 귀성길 (Gwi-seong-gil) - The journey back to one's hometown (often involving heavy traffic).
💡 Teacher Hoon's Pro "Holiday" Tip
When someone says "즐거운 명절 보내세요" (Have a happy holiday), they are referring to these traditional festivals. In modern Korea, Chuseok and Seollal are famous for the 민족 대이동 (Great Migration)—where half the population travels at once! Always book your KTX tickets weeks in advance if you plan to travel during these times.
🗣 Practice Dialogue: Holiday Plans
A: 한국의 명절 중에 가장 큰 명절은 뭐예요? (What is the biggest holiday in Korea?)
B: 설날과 추석이에요. 가족들이 모여서 전통 음식을 먹고 세배를 해요. (It's Seollal and Chuseok. Families gather, eat traditional food, and do the New Year's bow.)
A: 와, 명절에는 정말 바쁘겠네요! (Wow, you must be really busy during the holidays!)
💡 Did You Know? The Floating Dates
Because Korean festivals follow the Lunar Calendar (음력), their dates on the Solar Calendar (양력) change every year. For example, Seollal usually falls in January or February, while Chuseok is in September or October. Always check a Korean calendar for the Red Days!
Want to Master "Cultural Discussion" for TOPIK?
Cultural topics are common in the TOPIK Speaking and Writing sections. Book a 1:1 "Culture & History" session with Hoon on italki. We'll practice explaining your own country's holidays in Korean and compare them with Korean traditions until you sound like a native scholar.
🚀 Master Korean Culture with Hoon
More Cultural Insights:
Korean Proverbs |
History & Heritage
