Holiday & Festival Comparison
Seollal & Chuseok vs Oshogatsu & Obon
Korea's major holidays are Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Mid-Autumn Festival), both based on the lunar calendar. Families gather for sebae (New Year bowing) or charye (ancestral rites) and eat tteokguk or songpyeon.
Japan's major holidays are Shogatsu (Jan 1-3, solar) and Obon (mid-August). During Shogatsu, people eat osechi and ozoni, and visit shrines (hatsumode). During Obon, ancestral spirits are believed to return, with grave visits and bon-odori dancing.
Korea's long holiday periods cause massive homecoming rushes, while Japan's holidays are distributed across Golden Week, Obon, and New Year.
Key Differences
Korea: lunar holidays / Japan: solar holidays
Korea: sebae & charye / Japan: hatsumode & Obon
Korea: tteokguk & songpyeon / Japan: osechi & ozoni
Korea: massive Seollal & Chuseok return / Japan: GW, Obon, NY distributed