Bizarre Korea

I have now been in Korea for nearly 9 months and I can quite frankly say that its been a roller coaster ride of emotions. However the one thing that has kept me going through the ups and the downs is the ridiculous amount of genuinely bizarre celebrated holidays. There are around 12 Red Days a year which is a real treat. Don't be fooled though, the holidays in which you do not receive a day off for are still celebrated and taken very seriously indeed. So here are just a few of the wonderfully weird dates that this wonderfully weird country celebrates...

Peparo day - November 11th
Pepora day is a day where everybody gets together and eats chocolate covered bread sticks...yep, that’s a thing here. There is no other reason for it and they genuinely do go all out. There are hundreds of gift boxes and different varieties available, and it is said that this day generates the highest sales in convenience stores too, so expect to receive at least six if you’re in Korea at this time. If you look at the date of 11:11, it kind of looks like 4 Peparo sticks standing side by side so perhaps that's why they chose this date. Anyone for a pocky...

The 14th day of EVERY month!!!
Well first of all lets start with Valentines day on the 14th February which everyone either loves or hates, usually depending on their relationship status at the time. Most countries celebrate this just once a year (how lovely), Korea on the other hand basically has a day every month for it! Its pretty crazy, take a look...

Children's Day - May 5th
Do you remember when you were a kid and were always asking your parents why there isn’t a children's day’? Well in Korea there is one! On this day parents buy their children gifts and usually take them on an outing of some sort. Its cute but it means that you’ll never hear the classic response of ‘because every day is children's day’ ever again. This is also a public holiday so cheers to that!

Hangul Day - October 9th
If you’re a writer than you’ll love this one. An entire day to celebrate the creation of Hangul - the Korean alphabet. It was created under King Sejong during the Choson Dynasty in 1446. Over the years the date has changed several times due to the different calendars and incorrect assumptions. However after the discovery of the Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye (a commentary on the original proclamation of Hangul) in 1940, it was revealed that the correct date is in fact October 9th. This is also a national holiday in Korea so Happy Hangul Day I say!

So there you have it, as you can see in Korea you’re never far away from another holiday. So dust off those wallets (especially if you're dating a Korean) and be prepared to spend big money but ultimately, enjoy A LOT of great days off! Score!