Every year, the 15th day of the first lunar month marks Jeongwol Daeboreum, a significant traditional Korean holiday and the day of the first full moon of the year. While Seollal, Lunar New Year's Day, carries a strong sense of personal new year's celebration, Jeongwol Daeboreum is a day with the intention for the entire village community to pray together for the year's abundance and peace, and to ward off evil spirits. Since ancient times, our ancestors celebrated Jeongwol Daeboreum as grandly as Seollal, engaging in various customs such as observing the moon's movement to predict the year's fortune or praying for a bountiful harvest. As it is the day the brightest full moon rises, under the belief that moonlight drives away darkness and disease, people enjoyed diverse folk games and special foods to strengthen community harmony and wish for personal health and desires.
Jeongwol Daeboreum features many dynamic traditional games that utilize fire. Representative examples include Jwibulnori (field-burning game) and Daljip Taeugi (bonfire lighting). Jwibulnori is a custom in rural areas where people burn dry grass along the edges of rice paddies and fields to eliminate pests and reduce damage from mice, praying for a good harvest. The sight of burning straw or pinecones in cans, swung around and around, creates a spectacle of flames decorating the night sky, bringing great joy to onlookers. It was believed that if the fire burned strongly, the year's harvest would be abundant, so each village would competitively try to make the fire bigger. Daljip Taeugi is a game where a 'daljip' (moon house), built from fresh pine branches or piles of wood, is set ablaze as the moon rises. The moon symbolizes abundance, and fire symbolizes the purification of all negativity and evil. By burning the daljip, people drive away the year's misfortunes and pray for the village's bountiful harvest and the health of its residents. It was also believed that if the daljip burned evenly, it would be a good harvest year, and if it extinguished midway, it would be a poor harvest year.
Besides fire-based games, various traditional games aimed at promoting community harmony were played on Jeongwol Daeboreum. Juldarigi (tug-of-war) is a representative game where people divide into two teams and pull a long rope made of straw, praying for the village's good fortune and abundance. The outcome was also used to predict the year's harvest. Dalbamgi (bridge stepping) was a custom believed that stepping on bridges on the night of Jeongwol Daeboreum would prevent leg ailments and strengthen one's legs. The sight of many people crossing bridges and wishing for good health demonstrated the community's desire for collective well-being. Furthermore, Yeonnalligi (kite flying) involved writing 'evil' (액) on a kite and sending it into the sky, symbolizing the act of sending away all misfortunes of the year. These games go beyond mere entertainment, representing precious cultural heritage imbued with the wisdom and community spirit of our ancestors. While some games are now restricted due to fire hazards, their meanings and spirit are being passed down in various forms.
On Jeongwol Daeboreum, there is a custom of eating special traditional foods to pray for the year's health and abundance. The most prominent among these is Ogokbap (five-grain rice). Ogokbap, made by mixing five types of grains such as glutinous rice, foxtail millet, red beans, proso millet, and black beans, is also called 'harvest rice' or 'Daeboreum rice,' praying for a bountiful year. Ogokbap has fewer calories and a lower glycemic index than white rice, making it good for diets and diabetics, and it is a healthy food rich in nutrients like vitamins, calcium, iron, and dietary fiber. Red beans, in particular, are rich in isoflavones and beta-carotene, beneficial for preventing cardiovascular diseases, and black beans are known for their excellent antioxidant effects and prevention of osteoporosis.
In addition to Ogokbap, indispensable Jeongwol Daeboreum traditional foods include Bureom, Mugeun Namul (aged dried vegetables), and Gwibalgisul (ear-opening liquor). Bureom is the custom of cracking and eating nuts such as walnuts, peanuts, and pine nuts, signifying the desire for healthy skin without boils and strong teeth throughout the year. Nuts are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, which are said to be effective in preventing aging and cancer. Mugeun Namul are dishes made by stir-frying dried vegetables, such as pumpkin, eggplant, and radish greens, that have been preserved from at least 9 different types. They supplement the vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber that are often lacking during winter, and it was believed they would prevent heatstroke in the summer. Lastly, Gwibalgisul is the custom of drinking unheated clear liquor (cheongju) on the morning of Jeongwol Daeboreum, symbolizing the wish for sharp hearing and hearing pleasant news throughout the year.
Jeongwol Daeboreum is more than just a date on the lunar calendar; it is a precious holiday embodying the wisdom of life, community spirit, and reverence for nature of our ancestors. The traditional games and traditional foods that pray for abundance and health are imbued with the deep wishes of our forefathers. In our busy modern lives, why not take a moment to reflect on the meaning of Jeongwol Daeboreum and enjoy these traditions with family or neighbors? Institutions like the National Folk Museum of Korea (https://www.nfm.go.kr/) or the Jeonju National Museum of Modern History and Culture (https://www.koreatj.or.kr/) often host Jeongwol Daeboreum related events or experience programs, so participating to directly experience the beauty of our traditional culture is a great way to engage. May our efforts contribute to passing down our precious traditional culture to future generations.
Q1: What kind of day is Jeongwol Daeboreum?
A1: Jeongwol Daeboreum is the 15th day of the first lunar month, the day of the first full moon of the year. In the past, during the agricultural society era, it was considered as important as Seollal, and various customs, games, and foods were enjoyed to pray for a bountiful harvest, health, and peace.
Q2: Why do people eat Ogokbap on Jeongwol Daeboreum?
A2: Ogokbap is rice cooked with five grains such as rice, millet, foxtail millet, red beans, and beans, symbolizing the prayer for a bountiful harvest in the coming year. It also embodies the wisdom of our ancestors in consuming the nutrients from various grains to promote health.
Q3: What is the meaning behind cracking Bureom?
A3: Bureom cracking is a custom of cracking and eating nuts like walnuts, peanuts, and pine nuts on the morning of Jeongwol Daeboreum. It signifies the wish to avoid skin boils throughout the year and to have strong teeth, and it also offers the nutritional benefits of nuts.
Q4: Can Jwibulnori still be enjoyed today?
A4: Traditional Jwibulnori, which involves setting fire to fields, is now restricted in many areas due to fire risks. However, modified and safe versions are being attempted for enjoyment in experience events and educational programs.
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