With winter officially starting today and Christmas just three days away, the festive season has always been a favourite here at K-pop Bangsong, with a Christmas special pencilled into the calendar each year. We pride ourselves on being able to educate you on the latest Korean entertainment and culture news and ways to bring a little bit of Korea to your home. 

In today’s article, we will guide you on creating your perfect Korean Christmas.

Traditions: 

With 46% of England and Wales identified as Christian, South Korea has a lower percentage of around 30%; the majority of the Country is said to have no religion. The holiday has some stark differences from the UK.

While considered a national holiday in Korea, most people spend Christmas at home; the day is less widely celebrated than the traditional holiday, Seollal or Chuseok, where people rush home to spend the day with their families. 

Instead, people in Korea often spend the day on dates with many in major cities such as Seoul, visiting public outdoor displays at places such as shopping malls.

Words and phrases you can use:

Over 8 million people are actively learning the Korean language on Duolingo, and 77 million people in the World actively speak Korean, according to studies, in 2021. Korean is one of the World’s most studied languages, with many looking to understand their favourite idols and shows further. Here are a few phrases you can incorporate into your Christmas to make it more memorable.

메리 크리스마스 – Merry Christmas 

해피 하누카! – Happy Hanukkah

산타 클로스 – Santa Claus 

행복한 휴일 보내세요 – Happy holidays 

성탄절 전야 – Christmas Eve

선물 – Present 

Food:

Ranked by the metro as the World’s most popular cuisine, food is a staple of Korean culture. However, whilst traditional holidays such as Seollal and Chuseok have a range of set dishes that Koreans eat each holiday, Christmas often sees people eat popular winter food. 

Here are our suggestions for Korean food you can make from home this Christmas.

Sweet potato noodles (Japchae):

One of the main staples of any Korean dish, people often associate noodles with ramen, with nearly every flavour available. However, This is one of many types of noodles; the Country is known for its various types of cold and rice noodles. Winter is known for one kind of noodles, sweet potato noodles, also known as japchae. 

Accompanied by a mixture of vegetables and beef, the dish is perfect for vegetarians and meat-eaters.

Bulgogi:

Possibly the most famous Korean meat dish, bulgogi, also known as Korean Barbeque beef, incorporates Korea’s unique spices and flavours. 

Other famous dishes include:

• Bibimbap – a Korean rice bowl filled with vegetables and often beef topped with an egg and gochujang sauce. 
• Hotteok – a red bean pancake often eaten as a street food in Korea and is perfect for cold days.
• Patbingsu – a shaved ice dessert similar to ice cream. It is often served in various flavours, such as red bean and mango.
• Pajeon is a light pancake often famously filled with seafood or kimchi.

Playlist:

Now, onto an area where we will cover a lot more on our K-pop Bangsong Christmas special, but one that we couldn’t include in this guide. K-pop is one of the first things most people think of when it comes to Korea, and Christmas songs have been intertwined since its beginnings, from big 90’s acts TURBO and SECHSKIES to fourth-generation superstars BTS, EXO and TWICE to most recently Xdinary Heroes and NINE.i. There have been many great festive releases perfect for this festive period.

Here is our set playlist of songs to listen to this Christmas; for more, check out our Christmas special on Christmas Eve.

What to watch:

With directors Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook making waves in the Korean film industry. Many Korean Christmas films have been released over the years, as well as K-dramas featuring many great actors and actresses.

• Christmas in August
• Boys over flowers
• While you were sleeping 
• New Years Blues

If you are looking for something different that may contain your favourite idols or is a little more real to life, why not check out the likes of AKMU Spring of Winter or Christmas specials of famous Korean variety shows Running Man and The Return of Superman.

Upcoming events and broadcasts:

Day6 The present:

Back off military enlistment, JYP Entertainment band DAY6 will be making their long-awaited return this Christmas as they host their first tour date in around four years at the Seoul Hwajeong Gymnasium.

The three-day concert starting tonight is perfect for any K-pop fan, and my day is looking for something to watch on the Christmas run-up.

SBS Gayo Daejeon:

One of the longest-running annual K-pop music festival shows, SBS Gayo Daejeon, is a staple for K-pop at Christmas. 

Featuring legendary acts of the K-pop scene and collaborative stages, 2023 looks to be one of the festival’s most prominent stages yet. The event will be hosted by SHINee’s Key, TXT‘s Yeonjun and IVE‘s An Yu Jin. Fitting around the special stage titled “I am SOLO”, celebrating solo activities of K-pop artists with Yeonjun alongside ITZY‘s Yuna set to perform covers of BTS and Blackpink.

The festival will also see the likes of NCT127 and Stray Kids join on stage under the message “LOVE & PEACE” as well as (G)I-DLE and LE SSERAFIM joining in on stage in celebration of their debut albums called “I AM Fearless” this is set to be one of the most unforgettable moments of 2023.

What is your favourite Christmas traditions? Let us know on Social Media either on X or Instagram or in the comments below.