Korean Traditional Game : Haemajinol-i

🍂 Korean Traditional Game Series 27

Haemajinol-i

(해맞이놀이 · Korean New Year’s Sunrise Game)

🕰️ 1. Introduction

Haemajinol-i (해맞이놀이), meaning “sunrise greeting play,” is a traditional Korean custom in which people gather to watch the first sunrise of the New Year.
This beautiful tradition reflects the Korean spirit of renewal — welcoming a fresh beginning with gratitude, hope, and shared joy.

Families and villagers climb nearby hills or coastal cliffs before dawn, waiting together as the horizon brightens.
When the sun finally rises, people bow toward it and pray silently for good fortune, health, and peace throughout the coming year.

🪄 2. How to Celebrate

• Before sunrise, families or friends gather on mountains, beaches, or fields.
• As the sky glows red and gold, everyone faces east to greet the rising sun.
• People make wishes — for prosperity, success in exams, happiness in marriage, or good harvests.
• Afterward, participants share warm rice cakes (tteok) and tea, celebrating the year’s hopeful beginning.
• In some regions, traditional songs are sung or drums are played as the sun rises higher, symbolizing energy and renewal.

👀 3. Example from Life

On a crisp New Year’s morning, villagers wrapped in thick coats climb the frosty hills before dawn.
Children cling to their parents’ hands as everyone waits quietly, breath misting in the cold air.
When the golden sun peeks above the horizon, cheers erupt — “새해 복 많이 받으세요!” (“Happy New Year!”).

Haemajinol-i was not just about watching the sun; it was a shared moment of hope, unity, and gratitude for life’s continuing light.

 

🌏 4. Similar Traditions Around the World

• Japan: Hatsuhinode, the first sunrise viewing of the year, symbolizing renewal and spiritual cleansing.
• China: New Year dawn rituals where people face the east to welcome good luck.
• Western countries: New Year sunrise hikes and gatherings, celebrating fresh beginnings.

✨ Haemajinol-i teaches that every sunrise is a promise — a reminder that life renews itself with each dawn and that hope shines brightest when shared with others.

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💌 Closing Words

Haemajinol-i is more than a sunrise ritual.
It reflects the warmth of community, the gratitude for a new beginning, and the harmony between humans and nature.
Through this peaceful tradition, Koreans embrace not only the light of a new year but also the light within one another.

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