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During the decades under the leadership of Chairman Kim Il-sung, North Korea underwent a profound social revolution. One of the most significant changes was the treatment of traditional customs, particularly the Lunar New Year.
According to the Korea Herald, Chairman Kim Il-sung once viewed the Lunar New Year as a "relic of feudal society." This viewpoint stemmed from the idea of building a new society, a new kind of person, completely free from the constraints of the past. Therefore, traditional festivals and customs like the Lunar New Year were considered outdated and needed to be eliminated.
Since its restoration and recognition, the Lunar New Year has gradually regained its rightful place and role in the spiritual and cultural life of the Korean people.
To realize this vision, in 1946, the North Korean government officially recognized January 1st as New Year's Day. This decision marked a major turning point in history, ending the tradition of celebrating Lunar New Year in North Korea. After the Korean War, the elimination of Lunar New Year intensified. Traditional values were seen as opposed to revolutionary ideology, and adherence to state regulations became the top priority. As a result, Lunar New Year gradually disappeared from the lives of the North Korean people.
Unlike the traditional Lunar New Year in Vietnam, this occasion in North Korea usually only lasts two days - January 1st and 2nd.
It wasn't until the early 21st century, amidst societal changes and the aspirations of the people, that the North Korean government decided to restore the Lunar New Year. This decision marked a significant turning point in the desire to preserve national cultural identity.
Therefore, to date, with the exception of Japan, which abolished the Lunar New Year and adopted January 1st of the Gregorian calendar as New Year's Day, Asian countries that still observe the Lunar New Year include Vietnam, China, South Korea, North Korea, etc. These countries celebrate the Lunar New Year but still have distinct traditions.
This is also an occasion when North Koreans flock to Kim Il Sung Square in small groups or with their families, bringing flowers, paying respects at the monument, and taking commemorative photos.
This is one of the few holidays shared by both North and South Korea. Early on the first day of the Lunar New Year, students visit their teachers' homes to perform the sebae ritual. Men also take turns visiting families to offer New Year greetings, carrying a bottle of sake in their pockets and performing the sebae ritual with their elders. This custom originated in the mid-1990s. Before the "March of Poverty" in the mid-1990s, the government typically distributed New Year rations to families, consisting of a bottle of sake, cooking oil, a few hundred grams of meat per person, and some sweets for the Lunar New Year.
Tet is also a time for family reunions, so those living in distant cities will return to their hometowns to spend time with their beloved family.
In some regions, it is considered taboo for women to be the first person to enter a house on Lunar New Year's Day. If careless, these unwelcome guests could incur the host's displeasure the moment they step out. In reality, women rarely have time to visit neighbors because household chores keep them extremely busy from the 30th day of the Lunar New Year onwards.
Although the Lunar New Year is short, it is the happiest and most joyful time of the year for the people of North Korea.
Unlike South Korea, Koreans don't have the custom of eating dumpling soup (or rice noodle soup). Instead, they typically eat songpyeon, a type of crescent-shaped rice cake, along with other dishes prepared for the ancestral worship ceremony on the morning of the first day of the lunar new year (also known as jesa).
In more remote areas, local officials would bring baskets of flowers from farms to visit the city. People with business to attend to would also travel together. These flower arrangements would be tied together and placed around the statue of the late President Kim Il-sung. The large statue is always overflowing with flowers during the Lunar New Year and naturally becomes a popular photo spot. People don't have many other options for spring outings, so regardless of whether they are teenagers or students, well-dressed young women will stop by the statue of the late President to take pictures.
The New Year's rituals of the Korean people are truly heartwarming. They always highly value family and national spirit.
Koreans don't just celebrate the New Year once, but three times a year. They celebrate the Gregorian New Year, the Lunar New Year (Seollal), and the Juche New Year on April 15th each year. The Juche calendar takes the birthday of the late President Kim Il-sung, April 15, 1912, as its first year, and subsequent years are numbered accordingly. This calendar was implemented starting in 1997, renamed "the 86th year of Juche."
