Christmas in Korea: How is It Celebrated in 2022?

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, the wrapped Christmas presents are hidden away in the closet, and the hot cocoa has marshmallows slowly melting into it. Have you ever been curious about how they celebrate Christmas in Korea? 

Ever wondered about Korean Christmas traditions and what kind of food they eat for Christmas dinner? Dive deep into learning about Christmas in Korea in this article. 

Christmas time in Korea is extremely festive! Friends and families gather to hold Christmas parties and exchange small gifts and cards decorated with Santa Claus. Stores and businesses decorate with colorful Christmas decorations. Amusement parks have holiday-themed events that offer fun for the entire family. Nature parks put up elaborate light festivals for people to walk through and marvel at.

Restaurants feature menus of Christmas-themed lunches, dinners, desserts, and drinks. Churches hold Christmas services and do Christmas caroling around the city, and you can also watch Christmas concerts featuring famous k-pop artists and classic Christmas plays.

Christmas in Korea does not follow any out-of-the-norm traditions. Many families celebrating Christmas in Korea do it on a smaller scale than in western countries. They often have small Christmas trees they decorate, hang up stockings that they later fill with Christmas-themed sweets, and exchange small gifts. The holiday is more about spending time with loved ones rather than focusing on presents. 

Saying "Merry Christmas" in Korean sounds similar to how you would say it in English. You say Merry Christmas in Korean by saying 메리 크리스마스 or Meri Keuriseumaseu. A more traditional way to say Merry Christmas is 성탄축하 or Sung Tang Chuk Ha. 

In Korea, they refer to Santa Clause as Santa Kullusu, 산타 클로스, or Santa Haraboji, 산타 할아버지, which means Santa Grandfather. He is usually pictured wearing a long green robe with a gat or traditional Korean flat-topped hat worn by men In the Joseon Dynasty.  

On Christmas Day, you can find many Korean people eating traditional Korean foods prepared on most Korean holidays. Those traditional Korean holiday dishes include bulgogi, sweet potato noodles known as dangmyeon, bibimbap, and kimchi.  

Couples will often make reservations to restaurants featuring an exclusive Christmas menu. You can also find lots of families going to buffet restaurants as well. Some Koreans have adopted the popular Japanese tradition of having KFC for Christmas dinner. To learn more about a Korean-style Christmas dinner, check out this article.

For dessert, Koreans will often bring home a decorated Christmas cake. They will also have traditional Korean sweets such as steamed pear (also called baesuk), sweet Korean pancakes (also called hotteok), a honey pastry similar to baklava (also called yakgwa), red bean rice cakes (also called bukkumi), and walnut-wrapped persimmons (also called gotgamssam).  

Christmas is a national holiday in Korea, so most businesses and schools close for the day, but many places are open for business on Christmas. Shopping areas like Myeongdong are usually packed with people shopping on Christmas day. Many workplaces and groups of friends hold Christmas parties and gatherings. 

You can find couples waiting in line for their favorite restaurants or huddling together, waiting for their favorite ride at an amusement park. Religious people have the opportunity to attend Christmas day services that often feature plays and reenactments of the birth of Jesus Christ. For people who really want to get into the Christmas spirit, they attend light festivals or go to shopping plazas that are extravagantly decorated for the holiday season. 

Even though you won't see many people decorating their houses with Christmas lights in Korea, many places will put together grand spectacles of Christmas light displays so that everyone can visit and get into the holiday spirit. Check out this list of the four best light festivals in Korea to visit during Christmas to add to your itinerary!

A really lovely experience to take part in during the holiday season in Korea is attending a Christmas play. One of the most popular is The Nutcracker put on by the Korean National Ballet troupe. You could also catch a glimpse of local plays at some churches and shopping centers.  

Christmas markets are some of the most magical places to get your fill of the holiday spirit. They offer many places to pick up local goods like jewelry, housewares, and everything in between, all while creating a festive atmosphere where you indulge in street food and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. 

The Hyundai Seoul Christmas Village is a popular Christmas market to visit this year. If you want to learn more about Christmas markets in Seoul, check out this article.

The Seoul Plaza Skating Rink is opening back up after three years of being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The skating rink will open on Christmas Day and has extended hours on holiday. With an admission fee of KRW 1,000, including the skate rental fee, it's a fantastic and inexpensive activity to participate in during this holiday season.  

Visiting ski resorts is also a popular winter activity during Christmas in Korea. Many resorts offer Christmas packages where the whole family can enjoy a white Christmas while sledding, skiing, snowboarding, and tubing!

Lotte World holds a Christmas festival every year. The entire park is covered in Christmas decorations and lights, and they have an extravagant Christmas parade where you can see snow! Enjoy one of the family-friendly musical shows, and don't forget to stop by Santa Village for a really cute photo zone. 

Everland Theme Park has a "Snowman World" theme for this holiday season. Check out the Snowman Panorama, a garden full of cute snowman sculptures, and then head over to the special gigantic snow bunny representing next year's Chinese zodiac animal. Don't miss the Christmas fantasy parade and end the night with their spectacular fireworks. 

Christmas in Korea is not centered around gift giving, so if people choose to exchange gifts, they are usually small. In families, it is common for each person to only receive one gift. Common gifts given are money, Korean gift sets that may include things like beauty products or red ginseng, and luxury brand name items.

If you'll be in Korea for Christmas and are looking for some awesome gifts to give loved ones back home, The Daebak Company has a gift for everyone on your list! Share a piece of Korean culture by gifting traditional Korean souvenirs.

Got a k-pop lover in need of a gift for Christmas? Choose from all the latest k-pop merch, including Seasons Greetings from the hottest artists topping the charts this winter.

Foodies everywhere will rejoice when you bring them back some yummy Korean snacks. Why not hook them up with a subscription to the Snackfever box so they'll get a new box of tasty Korean snacks to try every month? 

Got someone super picky on your list and have no idea what to get them for Christmas? A subscription to the Daebak Box will not disappoint. They'll get a box every season that includes k-pop/k-drama goodies, Korean beauty products, Korean snacks, Korean lifestyle items, and a copy of The Daebak Magazine. 

Want to know more about the holiday season in Korea? Check out these amazing articles from The Daebak Magazine while you cozy up by the fireplace.