February
Happy February! Congratulations for making it through the first month of the year!
This year in February, the first full moon since the lunar new year falls on February 12th, or the lunar date of 1/15. This day is called Jungwol Dae Boreum, or the Great Full Moon Festival- a ‘holiday’ that is slowly being forgotten in South Korea.
The Great Full Moon Festival
The Great Full Moon Festival (Jungwol Dae-Boreum) once took place as a large celebration full of rituals and traditions. In the modern day, however, it remains more as a historical memory for South Korea (hence it’s no longer a federal holiday, but worth noting).
The Festival has strong agricultural roots, as it marked the last night before beginning the farming season of the year. There were superstititons, traditions, rituals, and even games played specifically on this day to 1) bring the community together 2) wish an abundant year ahead.
It’s surprising how various and specific the rituals were on this day, since it’s hard to see anyone practicing it today. Although, there are rural towns and cultural centers that hold events to continue and preserve the history each year. Here are some examples of the rituals:
Food-Related Rituals
Nut cracking: People cleaned and prepared hard-shelled nuts such as peanuts, wallnuts, and chestnuts and believed that cracking it with your teeth would guarantee a year of good health, and good dental health.
5-grain rice: On this day, rice made with various grains such as sorghum, red and black beans, millet, and sticky rice was served and eaten in increments throughout the day, and it represented the elements of a plentiful harvest (source: asiasociety.org)
Games
Jwibul-nori: this is probably the most typical imagery people have of Jungwol Daeboreum. Children at night by the winter farmland, swinging cans filled with straw on fire on a rope. This was likely the only night children were allowed to play with fire, as the cans, after being swung in circles to resemble the full moon, were catapulted to dry land to burn the weed and fertilize the soil.
nowadays, if you ever see children swinging cans on this day, it’s likely cans with LED lights in them rather than real fire.
Tug of war: The tug of war happened between two adjacent villages, and it was a great way to bring the community together before the farming began for the year.
As South Korea transitioned from a largely agricultural society to an industrial one, Jungwol Daeboreum now became a part of history remembered in textbooks rather than in practice.
Kimchi Jjigae Recipe
Here’s the recipe that will heal the deepest part of your soul and nourish you inside out! hope you enjoy this over and over no matter the season :)
Ingredients (2 servings)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp gochugaru
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp soysauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
3 cup water (or anchovy broth)
1/2 cup pork belly or jowl (alternative: 1 can tuna. or eliminate meat if you want)
1 cup Kimchi
1/2 medium sized onion, sliced
1/2 container of firm tofu
1 scallion, chopped
In a heated pot, add sesame oil and stir fry the pork (feel free to substitute pork with any protein of your choice such as tuna, beyond meat, sausages, etc.)
Add 1 cup of sliced kimchi (cut into bite size)
Add gochugaru, garlic, oyster sauce, and soysauce and stir fry until fragrant
Add 3 cupos of water or anchovy broth (simply boil anchovy + water for 10 minutes), and boil 10 mintutes
Add sliced onions, tofu, and scallions and boil another 10 minutes. Enjoy!
*Kimchi jjigae tastes better the longer you boil it
*For the BEST tasting Kimchi Jjigae, make it the night before
