Daeboreum 대보름 | The Korean Full Moon Festival

Everything You Need To Know About Daeboreum

Daeboreum

In our Korean blog we introduce you to lots of holidays and customs that take place in Korea. In today’s topic we cover 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 15th 2022
February 5th 2023
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.

Want to start studying Korean today? Grab a free trial with Flexi Classes

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.

Buddha’s Birthday in South Korea // The Complete Guide Thumbnail

Buddha’s Birthday in South Korea // The Complete Guide

Buddha’s Birthday in South Korea is a public holiday. Koreans go to temples and hang lanterns. Check out this article to find out more.

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
The Best Korean Food 🇰🇷 The Top 10 Korean Dishes for New Eaters to Try Out Thumbnail

The Best Korean Food 🇰🇷 The Top 10 Korean Dishes for New Eaters to Try Out

There’s LOTS of various dishes in the Korean gastronomy. It might be hard to know what to try out first, so we selected the best Korean food for you to try.

Activities

The traditional games at the Daeboreum are spectacular and Koreans engage in various activities during the day and night.

Here are some examples 👇
Daeboreum - Bonfire

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.

YearsDateDay
2022February 15thTuesday
2023February 5thSunday
2024February 24thSaturday
2025February 12thWednesday
2026March 3rdTuesday

Useful Vocabulary

Here is a small list of vocabulary about Daeboreum for you👇

EnglishKorean Transliteration
Jeongweol Daeboreum정월 대보름jeongweol daeboreum
Daeboreum  (big full moon)대보름daeboreum 
The first month of the lunar year정월jeongweol
Public holiday공휴일gonghyuil
Food음식eumsig
Peanut보름boreum 
Five grain rice오곡밥ogokbap 
Yaksik 약식yaksik 
Rice cake인절미injolmi 
Wine (ear clearing cool wine)귀밝이술gwibalgisul
Event행사 haengsa
Public activities공공 활동gong-gong hwaldong
Korean tradition (climbing the highest mountain near your house)오름oreum 
Traditional games전통놀이jeontongnol-i
Lion dance사자놀음saja-noreum
Tug of war줄다리기juldaligi
Go (game)고싸움gossaum
Game consisting of burning coal쥐불놀이juybulnori 

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:

Learn Korean in Korea

Ever wanted to be fluent in Korean?

If you fancy taking your Korean to new heights, why not do something amazing and come to Seoul to study Korean with us!

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 2022?

Daeboreum falls on February 15th 2022.

When is Daeboreum in 2023?

In 2023, Daeboreum in South Korea falls on February 5th.

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 of 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.

Want More From LTL?

FANCY LEARNING KOREAN? Check out our online Korean courses here.

We offer a 7-day free trial to all online students where you can study Korean 24/7.

Want to study Korean in Korea instead? Our Korean courses in Seoul can either be taken in small groups of no more than 5 students or individually for a more tailored experience.

We even offer incredible homestay experiences in Seoul too.

To top it all off, it certainly doesn’t end with Korean. Check out the other languages we teach 👇🏻

I'm interested in:
.

Leave a Reply

You will get a reply from us
Your email address will not be published. Name and Email are required.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.

Learn More