Daeboreum 대보름 | The Korean Full Moon Festival
Everything You Need To Know About Daeboreum
In our Korean blog, we introduce you to lots of holidays and customs that take place in Korea – as well as some useful words and phrases!
Today, we’re covering the Korean holiday known as Daeboreum 대보름 .
Daeboreum or Jeongweol Daeboreum (정월 대보름) in its longer form, is a Korean holiday that celebrates the first full moon of the new year in the Korean lunar calendar.
This day is 15 days after Seollal. Whilst Seollal is a family celebration, the Daeboreum celebration is generally a little more lively.
During this day, Koreans eat traditional Korean food and participate in several Korean traditions and games.
If you are interested, we have also written an article about the Full Moon Festival in China (also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival).
As the holiday follows the lunar calendar it means the date of the holiday changes each year. Here are the dates of Daeboreum for the next few years.
Daeboreum in South Korea:
February 24th 2024
February 12th 2025
March 3rd 2026
Daeboreum | History
Daeboreum | Main Activities
Daeboreum | Dates
Daeboreum | Useful Vocabulary
Daeboreum | FAQ’s
Want to know more about Korean holidays? Check out our page and discover all the Korean national holidays.
History
The first traces of Daeboreum date back to the 1st century. At that time, a war caused by gomugo (adultery between a person of royal rank and a monk) was in full swing.
After this event, the king instituted the festival of Daeboreum in order to appease the heavenly deities.
It is believed that this practice continued during the Joseon Dynasty and has continued to this day.
Today, the Daeboreum is an important folk festival celebrating the first moon of the lunar year.
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Traditions & Activities
As mentioned above, during Daeboreum, Koreans participate in several traditions and activities.
Let’s start with traditions!
Traditions
On the morning of the Daeboreum, when a person calls you, you should answer “내 더위 사가라” nae deowi sagala.
Oddly enough this means to “buy my heat“.
This means that (if they respond with a yes) the person will absorb all the heat that you would receive during the coming summer.
Interesting one, right?!
It is practiced as a game throughout the day and people just say “내 더위 사가라”.
NOTE | Koreans like to ask each other how many times they have sold their heat during this time.
Another tradition is to eat some of the best Korean food.
Here is a list of all the food that Koreans usually eat on this day:
- 오곡밥 ogokbap: a five-grain rice
- 약식 Yaksik: sticky rice with pine nuts, jujubes and chestnuts
- 부럼 Bureom: various kinds of nuts
- 인절미 Injolmi: a rice cake
- 나물 Namuls: complementary vegetable dishes on the Korean table
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Activities
The traditional games at the Daeboreum are spectacular and Koreans engage in various activities during the day and night.
Here are some examples 👇
On the eve of Daeboreum, Koreans make a huge bonfire.
It is called the Daljip 달집 and literally means “Moon house”, this event is typically the main point of Daeboreum.
쥐불놀 juybulnori is a game where you spin a box filled with burning charcoal. Koreans play this game in city parks just for fun.
FACT | Previously, Koreans used to play this game in the fields to burn the dry grass.
Often Koreans go to the nearest mountain to watch the sunrise with their families.
During the day, they play games such as tug of war, Go, kite flying, and there are also musical parades.
Dates
The Daeboreum doesn’t fall on the same date every year because it falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
| Years | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | February 24th | Saturday |
| 2025 | February 12th | Wednesday |
| 2026 | March 3rd | Tuesday |
Useful Vocabulary
Here is a small list of vocabulary about Daeboreum for you👇
| English | Korean | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Jeongweol Daeboreum | 정월 대보름 | jeongweol daeboreum |
| Daeboreum (big full moon) | 대보름 | daeboreum |
| The first month of the lunar year | 정월 | jeongweol |
| Public holiday | 공휴일 | gonghyuil |
| Food | 음식 | eumsig |
| Peanut | 보름 | boreum |
| Five grain rice | 오곡밥 | ogokbap |
| Yaksik | 약식 | yaksik |
| Rice cake | 인절미 | injolmi |
| Wine (ear clearing cool wine) | 귀밝이술 | gwibalgisul |
| Event | 행사 | haengsa |
| Public activities | 공공 활동 | gong-gong hwaldong |
| Korean tradition (climbing the highest mountain near your house) | 오름 | oreum |
| Traditional games | 전통놀이 | jeontongnol-i |
| Lion dance | 사자놀음 | saja-noreum |
| Tug of war | 줄다리기 | juldaligi |
| Go (game) | 고싸움 | gossaum |
| Game consisting of burning coal | 쥐불놀이 | juybulnori |
That completes our guide to Daeboreum, the Full Moon Festival in South Korea.
Have you ever heard of this holiday? And what do you think about it? Tell us in the comments!
Want to learn more about this kind of stuff? We have written a few articles about South Korean holidays such as:
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How to write Daeboreum in Hangul?
Daeboreum is hangul is 대보름.
How do you say “Peanut” in Korean?
Peanut in Korean is 보름 boreum.
When is Daeboreum in 2024?
Daeboreum falls on February 24th 2024.
When is Daeboreum in 2025?
In 2025, Daeboreum in South Korea falls on February 12th.
What do Koreans do during Daeboreum?
As mentioned above, during the Daeboreum, Koreans participate in several traditions and activities.
On the eve of Daeboreum, Koreans make a huge bonfire.
They also play 쥐불놀 juybulnori. This is a game where you spin a box filled with burning charcoal. Koreans play this game in city parks just for fun.
Often Koreans go to the nearest mountain to watch the sunrise with their families.
During the day, they play games such as tug of war, Go, kite flying, and there are also musical parades
How many other holidays does Korea have?
In South Korea, people celebrate or observe 13 other holidays, of which 4 (Valentine’s Day, Daeborum, Chilseok, and New Year’s Eve) are the most significant.
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