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Since ancient times, the image of a large full moon has symbolized a good harvest or abundance, and it has been regarded as an object of worship along with the sun and stars, akin to a pantheon. This can be seen as a product of humanity’s organic perception of nature and a universal concept in East Asia. However, each region has its own unique lunar culture based on its living environment, especially on January 15th of the lunar calendar, known as Daeboreum in Korea and Yuanxiao in China.

January 15th of the lunar calendar, ‘Daeboreum’ in Korea and ‘Yuanxiao’ in China

  In South Korea, January 15th of the Lunar calendar is called ‘Jeongwol Daeboreum’ or ‘Daeboreum’. These signify the first and largest full moon of the year. Today, it is not recognized as a festive day because it is not designated as a public holiday. However, Daeboreum had been considered a major festive day since the Three Kingdoms period. During the Goryeo dynasty, it was one of the nine major festive days that prohibited punishment, along with Lunar New Year and Thanksgiving Day. Also, as the proverb says, ‘You may leave home on Lunar New Year, but you must stay at home on Daeboreum’, Jeongwol Daeboreum was almost as important as the Lunar New Year. In North Korea, Jeongwol Daeboreum is designated as a public holiday and celebrated as a folk festival. It is also registered as an intangible cultural heritage of the nation, along with the tradition of moon-viewing.

  In China, it's called the ‘Yuanxiao’. The word ‘yuan’ refers to the first month of the year, and ‘xiao’ refers to night, which means the first full moon night of the year. Yuanxiao has been an important traditional festive day in China since ancient times. Another name for Yuanxiao reveals the essence of the customs: it’s also called the ‘Lantern Festival’ or the ‘Festival of Lights’ since the main event is the hanging of lanterns at night. Currently, Yuanxiao is designated as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in the field of folklore in China.

The Origin of Different Daeboreum Festive Days

  While both Korea and China celebrate the same day, January 15th of the lunar calendar, they have different origin stories. Firstly, the origin of Korea’s Jeongwol Daeboreum can be traced back to the tale of an arrow at the box in 『The Heritage of the Three States』. In 488, King Soji of Silla encountered an old man while chasing after a mysterious crow. The note that the old man left contained the phrase “Shoot an arrow at the box of the Geomungo”. The king did just that and was able to catch a monk and a queen having an adulterous affair inside the box of the musical instrument. From that incident, the day of Jeongwol Daeboreum, where crows are revered, became known as ‘Day of Crow’, and a tradition of offering ritualistic glutinous rice began.

  Even today, the custom of feeding magpies and crows on the morning of Jeongwol Daeboreum is still practiced in some regions, where glutinous rice and other foods are placed on the streets, in tall trees, or on roofs for the birds to eat. Unlike in Korea, the origins of China’s Yuanxiao have diverse explanations. Particularly, there are several explanations for how lanterns came to be hung on this day. One of them is that it originated from celebrating Wen of the Han dynasty's victory over a rebellion and his ascension to the throne of Emperor on January 15th by hanging lanterns in every house. Another legend suggests that it began to avoid the wrath of the Great Jade Emperor.

  Once upon a time, humans killed a bird that guarded the palace in the sky, and the Great Jade Emperor was furious and ordered everything on earth to be burned on January 15th. However, a kind-hearted daughter of the Great Jade Emperor overheard this and told the humans, so they hung lanterns and set off fireworks to make it look like the world had already suffered from a catastrophe, thus avoiding the punishment.

What Food do People Eat on Daeboreum and Yuanxiao?

  The representative traditional dish of Jeongwol Daeboreum is primarily ‘five-grain rice’. The origin of five grain rice, as mentioned earlier in 『The Heritage of the Three States』, begins with the ancestral rite of offering glutinous rice to crows. There is an aspect of the mixture of glutinous rice, flavored glutinous rice, and five grain rice depending on the time period. These are all made from glutinous rice, and the culture of eating glutinous rice at Daeboreum is a unique Korea ritual that continues to this day. Heo Gyun(1569-1618), an official during the Joseon Dynasty, recognized ‘flavored glutinous rice’ as the country’s best food in his book 『Domundaejak』, saying “In Gyeongju, there is a custom of feeding crows with it on the day of the full moon. Chinese people also like it and learn to cook it, and called it Goryeo Rice”.

  The second representative traditional dish of Jeongwol Daeboreum is ‘Bureom’. Even the names for ‘Daeboreum’ and ‘Bureom’ are similar, and although the exact origin is unknown, it is said to have originated from the belief that eating hard food will prevent people from getting a boil for the year. The custom of biting hard foods on Jeongwol Daeboreum is observed in Korea, China, and Japan, but is is most prominent in South Korea.

  The representative dish of China’s Yuanxiao is ‘Tangyuan’, which is made by shaping glutinous rice into round balls resembling bird’s eggs and boiling them in water. Both countries have a similar tradition of eating dishes made from glutinous rice. However, the difference is that in Korea, glutinous rice is made with five grains and garnished with various vegetables, while in China, it’s a kind of glutinous rice cake soup. The pronunciation of Tangyuan is similar to the Chinese word ‘Tuanyuan’, which means ‘harmonious’. Therefore, during Yuanxiao, families gather together, wishing for happiness and harmony while eating Tangyuan. The ingredients of the rice cakes include sugar, red beans, and in modern times, even chocolate or cheese. It is said that the dish originated when the Tang Dynasty’s Emperor Taizong ordered a special dish made of glutinous rice to be served on the day of Jeongwol Daeboreum to honor generals who made significant contributions to the country.

Different Full Moon Night Culture of Korea and China

  In Korea, the period from the beginning of January to Daeboreum is marked by a series of events aimed at warding off negative energy and praying for a good harvest. Since ancient times, people have regarded the full moon as a natural object that represents abundance and richness. In Korea, in particular, the lunar symbolism is strongly represented in the custom of Jeongwol Daeboreum. The representative custom includes making a wish while looking at the moon and predicting the agricultural prosperity through the shadow or shape of the moon. In addition, various fire-related activities, including Jwibulnori, are meant to eliminate pests and purify the environment, and the shape of the fire is used to predict a good harvest. Thus, all the customs of Jeongwol Daeboreum have a ceremonial nature, with the aim of wishing for good fortune for the coming year. In each village, people gather to collectively hold ancestral rites to the village guardians, praying for the well-being of the village. There is also a custom of transferring heat to others, with the mention “Take my heat”. Despite the fact that Jeongwol Daeboreum falls in winter, it's practiced in advance to ward off the heat of summer.

  Therefore, Korea’s Jeongwol Daeboreum encompasses various cultural practices to prepare for the year ahead. The custom of looking at the full moon and making a wish continues to this day. During the news coverage on Daeboreum, they report the time of moonrise and weather conditions that affect the visibility of the moon, reflecting the culture of the full moon. Similarly, in China’s Yuanxiao, there is a custom of welcoming the full moon and wishing for a prosperous and peaceful family. However, over time, the festival has gradually evolved into a more festive celebration of hanging and watching lanterns. Therefore, this day is characterized by playful and entertaining cultural activities. Representative customs include hanging lanterns and solving lantern riddles. Lanterns with elaborate shapes are hung everywhere in the streets, and large-scale lantern festivals are held in many places.

  The Chinese game of lantern riddles(Da Deng Mi) is still a popular entertainment during Yuanxiao. It involves hanging riddles on lanterns for passersby to solve. It’s not only fun to solve, but also an effective way of learning a language. What kind of puzzles are in the riddles? Let’s have fun and solve three representative riddles for this year’s Yuanxiao. In Chinese farming, people pray to the stars, while in Korean farming, people pray to the moon.

In both Korea and China, first month of the lunar calendar is the period with the most diverse cultural events throughout the year. Especially, Daeboreum, in which various cultural practices under the full moon have been developed, holds significant importance in the folk customs of each country. However, as a Korean proverb says, “Chinese farmers pray to the stars, and Korean farmers pray to the moon”, ‘stars’ hold special significance for Chinese, while the ‘moon’ holds special significance for Koreans.

Whereas our Jeongwol Daeboreum expresses the concept of abundance symbolized by the full moon through various customs, China’s Yuanxiao emphasizes the custom of family gatherings, eating Tangyuan, and enjoying lantern displays. Thus, while both countries celebrate the first full moon of the year, there are cultural differences in how they continue their festive days.