February 10: Lunar New Year

Today will be exciting! First of all, it's one of the most important days in Korea. It's 설날  (pronounced "Seollal")! Most Korean calendars show the Lunar calendar dates along with the "regular" dates we're used to. Today is January 1st by the Lunar calendar, so HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013! Most Koreans (all that I know of) will pay their respects to their grandparents and some will bow at an altar at which they place food offerings. They also eat rice cake soup. I *LOVE* dok-guk (rice cake soup)! Anyway, check out google.co.kr - it has two Korean characters dressed in hanbok, the traditional clothes! :)

Secondly, today at noon, all of us foreign teachers are going to the principal's house. He invited us all to his house today for a 설날 Lunch. I don't think he's invited teachers in the past for this so it's quite special! I guess you could say we're his guinea pigs for this kind of thing.

Our lovely translator, and foreign teacher-Korean teacher liaison, told us that we must all bow together, synchronizedly, after the dok-guk. [I know, I know; 'synchronizedly' isn't a word...] My question is this:  *when* after the soup - after the first bowl is placed on the table, or after everyone has a bowl of it in front of them/near them, or after we eat it? I wonder what other things one does on such occasions?
 
Certainly will also present the principal and his family with a traditional Seollal gift of a large box of Asian Pears or apples, worth about $80. We asked at E-mart which is most popular and we were told the Asian Pears are the more popular gift.

It will be fun and interesting and undoubtedly delicious!

새해 복 많이 받으세요! (It's pronounced "seh heh bok mahn ee bahd euh sae yo.") It literally means, word for word, new - year - luck/good fortune - a lot of - please receive. "May you have a prosperous New Year!"