73rd Republic Day: South Korea congratulates India, distributes Korean rice cakes to people in Delhi
NEW DELHI: To commemorate India’s 73rd Republic Day on 26th January and Korean New Year’s Day in lunar calendar (‘Seollal’) on 1st February, the Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI) distributed 300 Korean sweet rice cakes specially made in tri-colors of the Indian flag to the needy people in New Delhi on Monday.
With this, KCCI successfully and innovatively introduced Korean ‘New Year’ celebrations to the Indian populace that marks the traditional culture of sharing food and rice cakes with neighbours.
Hwang Il-yong, director of Korean Cultural Centre India and Culture & Press Attache (counselor) of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, said, “I was thinking about how to practice the role of a friend who is with you and cheers you up during difficult times in India amidst the third wave of Corona, and then we planned and carried out this project. I sincerely congratulate India on its 75th Republic Day, which has achieved its independence through a nonviolent pacifist movement despite difficult circumstances and has continued to overcome difficult situations like us, Korea.”
He added, “In Korea, we also are in celebration mood for our Lunar New Year Day, a great national holiday & festival on 1st February. So we prepared a special gift, a sweet rice cake with the meaning of the Lunar New Year when the whole family gathers to celebrate the New Year and shares rice cakes and food to fulfill the hope and wishes for the New Year. I hope the local people in Delhi will warm their hearts with new hopes this year through this gift of Korean rice cake in 3 colors which symbolizes the national flag of India.”
The Korean food distribution was carried out in 5 areas of Delhi, which included in North -Kashmiri Gate ISBT, Mori Gate, in West Mahipalpur and Uttam Nagar, in East East Lajpat Nagar flyover, in South Moti Bagh and Sanjay Camp, and in Central at Motilal Nehru camp, New Delhi.
A volunteer-oriented non-profit organization (NGO), ‘Aasha Aur Pragati’ which runs local slum relief and education projects for especially vulnerable youth volunteered to deliver the rice cakes and share the joy and hope with people.
India celebrates its 73rd Republic Day since the Constitution of India as an independent republic was enacted and came into effect on January 26, 1950.
A KCCI statement said that although the Indian Constitution had already been passed by the Indian Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, the reason that it was announced in effect on January 26 of the following year is that India’s Declaration of Independence was issued on January 26, 1930, just like Korea’s ‘3.1 Declaration of Independence on 1st March 1919 from Japan colonization. Korea has celebrated March 1st as a national holiday for commemorating this Independence declaration. And two countries have the same date of Independence Day, 15th August, Korea achieved its Independence on 15th August 1945.
Korean New Year (Seollal) is one of the major Korean national festivals and holidays commemorating the first day of the Korean lunar calendar. The celebration usually lasts three days when Koreans meet and greet each other, seek blessings, perform ancestral rites, wear Hanbok (their traditional dress), share and eat traditional food like rice cakes and play folk games together.
