Korea is the only country that has a national holiday celebrating its writing system. People celebrate this holiday by taking a day off from work and school. Some people even come to the statue of King Sejong in order to admire the inventions of the Joseon era for which he was responsible.
The community has this tradition to remember and appreciate everything King Sejong did for the Korean people. Before King Sejong and his scholars developed the Korean alphabet known as Hangul, only the elite people were able to read and write, using Chinese characters to write out Korean sounds. Hangul Day is important to the community to appreciate their history and to hold on to their culture in a fast-changing world.
This traditional holiday is connected to its environment because it is themed around King Sejong, the creator of the Korean alphabet which is used every day. King Sejong is on the 10,000 won ($10 U.S. dollar). An interesting side note: in the 1990s, business owners wanted to cancel the holiday because there were many national holidays that interfered with running their businesses. However, luckily in 2013, this holiday was reinstated as a national celebration! This seems appropriate when you consider how important language is in people's lives! Why do we have the holidays we do in America? Do you think they are all justified? Which holiday would you eliminate if you had the choice? Are there any people or events that are not celebrated in the United States that you think should be celebrated?
