The photo shows the performance of gilnori (traditional performance parade) staged at the Korean Cultural Center in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 10 last year during the Lunar New Year Festival hosted by the center.

By Charles Audouin
Photos = Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Korean Cultural Centers (KCC) around the world will host Lunar New Year festivals to mark the Year of Blue Snake.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Jan. 23 that 22 such centers in 20 countries will host a variety of events where people can experience the traditional culture of celebrating Seollal (Lunar New Year).

Clad in Hanbok (traditional clothing), reporters of the Corea Today pose for photos at the KCC in Rome, on Feb. 8, last year. 

In the Asian region, folk games events will be held at KCCs in Japan, Vietnam, Shanghai and the Philippines, with traditional Korean cooking and sampling events in centers in Osaka, Shanghai, the Philippines and India. Visitors to such centers in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia can also have first-hand experiences such as making bokjori (traditional rice strainers) and cheongsachorong (a traditional lantern made with blue and red silk patchwork representing yin and yang).

In Europe, visitors to KCCs can learn more about the meaning of the Lunar New Year with programs including cooking classes (Germany), traditional cultural events (Austria, Poland and Hungary), and Hanbok exhibitions and gayageum (12-stringed zither) performances (Spain, Italy and Sweden). In addition, the KCC in Austria will host K-pop cover dance events, while the center in Germany will host folk game events featured in the Netflix smash hit "Squid Game," such as gongginori (Korean Jack stone), yunnori (a board game with four sticks) and jegichagi (shuttlecock kicking).

Participants in the Seollal cultural event program hosted by the KCC in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Jan. 31, last year, make envelopes for traditional sebaetdon (a monetary gift for bowing).

Along with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the KCC in Washington will host the "2025 Lunar New Year Family Celebration: Korean Seollal" festival. Meanwhile, the KCC in Los Angeles will host a traditional performance, folk games and Hanbok tryout programs. Visitors to KCCs in Canada, Mexico and Australia can take part in cultural events such as tteokguk (rice cake soup) cooking classes, and buchae (traditional fan) making.

The KCC in Abuja, Nigeria, will host programs themed on Seollal food and folk games, while the center in the United Arab Emirates will offer diverse programs for participants such as "5-in-6-Legs" that reinterpret elements from "Squid Game," tteokguk sampling and a "Set My Goals for the Year" session to write down New Year’s resolutions to look back on for progress a year from now.

caudouin@korea.kr