Since people were coming across this page when looking for Korean customs and traditions, I decided to post a little about them. Very little, since I don't know that much. If anyone knows any more, please e-mail me at akktri(nospam)@iname.com, careful to remove the (nospam) first.

Education Customs

The Korean school year begins when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom. Korean children go to school nearly all day long, from dawn until late at night. A common refrain is, "It is very strange to see the sun." I believe, like the Japanese, their education is compulsory. There is also a school, Seoul University, I believe, which has "Akaraka" as its motto, which means "excellence." It's repeated often during special contests or games at the school. At least, I think.

Holidays:
Chusok
While Americans are celibrating Thanksgiving, people in Korea have Chusok(Chusuk? Sp?). It is similar to Day Of The Dead in Mexico, where gifts are set out in the honor of dead ancestors. I'd like to know more about it, but I don't currently know much else. I also don't know if Christian Koreans celebrate it.

Childrens Day

I guess this is like mother's day, or something. All I know is that they have a special song.

New Years

Obviously, like many Asian nations, Koreans celebrate New Years with fireworks and other stuff. Their new years is during a different time of the month than the American holiday.

Buddha's Birthday
Not a Christian holiday, but a holiday that is celebrated by many in Korea. They shoot off fireworks and stuff...That's about all I know about it.

I'm not sure
I need to do more studying on the holidays of Korea.
Other Traditions
Korean Traditional Dance
I've seen one of their special dances once, though I'm not sure what they call it. The dancers wear these big colored ball shaped things on their heads, and beat special drums, while doing a special dance. I don't know what you call that, exactly. I need more info. I saw it at a conference I went to one time, and it seems to be going the way of the Barbershop Quartet.

The Ondol
It is a custom among Koreans to build fireplace vents beneath their house, called `Ondols.' These sometimes work smoothly, making the floor nice and warm to walk on. However, sometimes they have problems, and the owner of the house gets carbon monoxide poisoning. But this tradition has persisted for some time.