The Curious Absence of St. Valentine

Today is February 12th. However, it does not feel like February 12th. When I walk into any form of a retail store, I am not greeted with massive displays of pink and red hearts, prepackaged chocolates of all varieties and grades, flowers of all classifications and colors, and fluffy but meaningless stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes. When I turn on the television, I am not bombarded with occasionally clever but usually vomit-inducing advertisements that are all trying to get me to purchase a Norelco razor or a Rolex watch for my nonexistent lover. When I turn on the radio (even though I don’t have one), I don’t have to get invited to multiple bars for a “singles” party at which women only have to pay five bucks to drink all night long so that sleazy men can take advantage of this situation all night long. When I read the newspaper (even though I can’t read Korean newspapers), I don’t have to learn about how florists in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. are concerned that the epic levels of snow will “wilt” their Valentine’s Day sales.

It’s not that Valentine’s Day is entirely disregarded in Korea. I have indeed seen a few isolated pink boxes of what appears to be chocolate or candy tucked away in the corner at the 7 Eleven. In the liquor section of the grocery store, I have spotted a few wine gift sets that are packaged to vaguely hint at the notion of love. But the in-your-face displays, advertisements, and greeting cards full of googly-eyed lovers are completely absent from the aura of Korea, and I couldn’t be happier about this fact. In fact, the only reason that I remembered it was close to Valentine’s Day at all was because I still have to read about it on the facebook status updates of my friends back home.

I suspect that the reason that Valentine’s Day is played down so much in Korea is not only because it is a traditionally Western holiday, but also because February 14th marks a much more important holiday to Korean culture: Lunar New Year. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what is celebrated during Lunar New Year. Here is all that I (think I) know about Lunar New Year:

1. It is (probably) the most important traditional Korean holiday.

2. It falls on the day of the second new moon after winter solstice, which this year happens to be on February 14th.

3. It is a much more important holiday to Koreans than New Year’s Day (i.e. January 1st) or Christmas.

4. Koreans typically spend it in the home with family, whereas they are more inclined to spend Christmas with friends. Typically they will celebrate at the home of the eldest family member (or perhaps the eldest sibling).

5. I suspect that gift-giving might be involved since my students seem more inclined than ever to furtively sneak me a piece of candy, and my school gave all of the teachers a life-time supply of seaweed.

6. I don’t have to go to work on Monday.

Because of Lunar New Year fact #6, I am going to Busan this weekend. Busan is the second largest city in Korea, is situated along the southern coast, and is about an hour away from Daegu by train. I don’t yet know precisely what we intend to do when we get there, but Kelly and I have a friend who lives and works at the Busan branch of MoonKkang, so I imagine he’ll at least be able to show us where to drink.



I don’t yet know what to do with all of my seaweed. Koreans will wrap it around rice or perhaps throw it into some soup. However, I was thinking I might wrap my body in it and pretend to be a mermaid...