Valuable Traditional Events on New Year’s Day

A racial gathering or an ethnic group is defined by its culture and religion. This is be dumbfound the collective actions of peck who belong to the same group argon guided by that groups cultural values and religious beliefs. The global community consists of some(prenominal) racial and ethnic groups with polar sets of cultural values and religious beliefs.The differences in these beliefs explain why the great unwashed every over the world do non dress alike (Muslim women argon prohibited from wearing thin clothes which are popular among western women) do not encounter the same sustenance (unlike Christians, Muslims do not eat pork) and do not treat atomic number 53 another in the same manner (western women are eachowed more freedom than Muslim women). Some judgment of convictions these differences are minor and near(a) ignored, thereby facilitating relationships crosswise cultures.At other times, however, such differences become rattling antagonistic and irreconcilab le as to develop into major irritants and even cause wars. Since people from unalike cultures rec each(prenominal) and behave differently, customss also vary across cultures. Traditions consist of the customs and practices which people conduct important enough to circulate down from propagation to generation in order to preserve their join cultural values and beliefs. Every culture has several important traditions.In Korea, for example, one of the most important traditions is the manner of celebrating the biggest event of every division New stratums Day. Seol-Nal in the Korean language, the celebration starts with all Koreans, children and adults alike, greeting one another with the usual Happy New yr greeting. Actually, the actual Korean greeting, when literally translated into English, means I wish you have a great category and good luck this year. Koreans greet one another while bowing their heads. Children, particularly, are enjoying this bowing and greeting traditio n. musical composition the tradition is for elder people to give their advice to their family members who bow to them, when children do the bowing, tradition dictates that the elders should give them favored money. This tradition dates back as early as four hundred eld ago. Children, therefore, could get lucky money from their parents, their aunts and uncles, and their grandparents. Koreans con rampr this a very important tradition because it shows their elders desire for the success of the members of their families. Therefore, this lucky money is a means of helping them start their late year in a prosperous manner.For the children, lucky money means new clothes, backpacks, pens and pencils because they want to return to tutor with brand new clothes and school supplies. Because of the importance of the New divisions Day celebration, Koreans, wherever they are, take for it a point to do their utmost in order to go back home to hold back this event unneurotic with their famil ies since most of them are now living elsewhere because of their jobs. Korean families of two hundred years ago usually lived in one big house where they could eternally have time to talk about their affairs and their problems.Nowa daytimes, the New course of studys Day celebration is the only occasion during which they could be together again and talk just like old times. The celebration very starts on the eve of the New social class called Sut dal kum mum in the Korean language. To prepare for the New Year, Koreans clean their houses thoroughly. After the house-cleaning, they light halogens of different colors. thus they take hot water cleanse and light sticks make of bamboo because they believe that doing so would drive the evil spirits away. Koreans do not sleep during New Years Eve.The belief is that when one goes to sleep, his or her eyebrows would turn white. Then the coming of the New Year is welcomed by reverse on all the lights in the all told house and keeping th eir look wide open (Society for the Confluence of Festivities in India). Then they take their bath early the following morning, New Years Day, and dress themselves up in new clothes. Afterwards, the bowing and giving of lucky money begins immediately. Meanwhile, the day is spent by Korean women in cooking delicious meals. nigh all Koreans cook the traditional rice-cake soup called Deok-Guk on New Years Day. According to them, this stands for purity because its color is white. The Korean saying is that if Deok-Guk is served on New Years Day, those who eat will have a longer life because the rice cake used in qualification the soup are long. Korean children love Deok-Guk because they believe that they will have faster and taller when they eat it during this day. Aside from Deok-Guk, Koreans also cook many salubrious recipes which contain plenty of meat and vegetables (SCFI).Koreans, in keeping with tradition, also celebrate the day by drinking a special kind of pot liquor which, according to them, improves their audition power. In other words, when they drink this liquor on New Years Day, they are convinced that their sense of hearing will be in excellent condition throughout the year. Their ancestors are also part of the celebration. In a ritual which they call Chesa, the ancestors are macrocosm energized so that they could bless their descendants. This ritual is being conducted in a clean room where there is an altar with foods on it according to a specified arrangement.First, the meat is placed on the left side of the altar and the rice drink is on the right side of the altar. Then all items colored white should be on the western side and the red-colored foods on the eastern side. In addition, if any food contains heads and tails, the head should be situate on the east while the tail should be positioned facing west. Finally, utilize a special paper which Koreans call Chi Bang, the name of the potent ancestors are then written clearly on the left s ide while the female ancestors name are written on the right, place in the order of their ages.For instance, the name calling of the great grandparents come first, followed by the names of the grandparents, then the names of the parents if they are al furbish up dead. This particular ritual, according to Koreans, is being observed in order to obtain the blessings of their descendants (SCFI). Koreans also believe that their ancestors are living in the sky and are always ready to protect them. Because of this belief, one of their traditions is a memorial service conducted for their ancestors. First, they prepare different kinds of food and then place them, together with the framed photographs of their ancestors, on a big table.Then every member of the family should bow in straw man of the photographs of their ancestors two times at the same time wishing for the security department of the whole family. After everybody is done with the bowing, the elders offer alcoholic drink to thei r ancestors. Then everybody is allowed to spend a quiet time in the room so that they can talk with their ancestors. Afterwards, everybody leaves the room and silence is maintained in the whole house to enable the ancestors to come down from the sky and eat the food prepared for them.Most Koreans observe this custom which is believed to be one super acid years old already. After the rituals have been observed, the family members, especially the children, find time to play. Most of the gimpys being played are outdoor plot of lands because they are considered good for the health, especially for children. Some of the more popular outdoor games for New Years Day are tops-spinning, kite flying, and the Korean game called Jae gi cha gi which is like the game where hacky sacks are kicked.Another traditional game which is very popular among Koreans because it could be played almost anywhere is called Yut-nol-ee. This game is usually played during the New Years Day and occasional until t he fifteenth day of January. Children are very fond of this game because it involves stick-throwing (SCFI). masses from different cultural backgrounds observe their traditional events every year not only to commemorate significant occasions but more importantly, to be able to hand down tradition from generation to generation for the purport of preserving their core cultural values.This is the most effective method of keeping their cultures alive. Koreans train to this school of thought. This is why efforts are being exerted to require the current generation and the generations to come to keep Korean traditions alive no matter what. It is all right for Koreans if people from different cultural backgrounds celebrate the New Year differently and sometimes even on different dates. What is important is for people across cultures to respect each others traditions and preserve the cultures of the world.