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CELEBRATING NEW YEAR’S DAY YEONJU PARK<br />
Yeonju Park<br />
In Korea there is a New Year’s Day that we call “Seol”. This year it is celebrated on<br />
February 7th according to the Lunar calendar. The day before New Year’s Day all families<br />
get together to make a dumpling that has vegetables and grinded pork. Many special foods<br />
are made. New Year’s Day all families give a big bow and pray for our ancestors. Special<br />
foods are prepared. One <strong>of</strong> the special foods is rice cake soup. It is a custom to eat this<br />
soup on the holiday. Children bow to the adults for their good health and luck. In return<br />
the adults give lucky money to the children.<br />
We go to the cemetery with flowers to pay our respect to the ancestors. Later we have<br />
lunch with our families and play Korean traditional games, Korean cards or Yutnoli.<br />
Yutnoli is the game using four sticks with a mark. Each stick represents an animal, Pig,<br />
Dog, Chicken, Cow and Horse.<br />
This year I invited friends to come to my home for New Years. We ate dumpling soup,<br />
received a bow from the children, and gave them lucky money. All five families played the<br />
Yutnoli game. The penalty for losing the game was that the next gathering would be in that<br />
house. Everyone tried to win, we laughed and giggled. We had fun and a wonderful time.<br />
We remembered our families in Korea and wished for them good health and luck.<br />
Asian Center <strong>of</strong> Merrimack Valley<br />
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