Culture

     South Korean people value family above all else. The father guides the family and takes place as the head. His responsibilities are slowly transfered to the eldest son, who is given special responsibilities and duties to the family. Korean families have strong values that they display and show to the rest of the community. Each member's actions reflect the entire family as a whole. Also, individuals have to consider their family a priority before their own self interests in an ideal South Korean family. Ancestors are worshiped and there are festivals that are dedicated to them, this is because Koreans feel in debt to them because the ancestors brought the family to the position it is in currently.
     South Korean people value etiquette to an extreme. For example, when you meet some one, the proper action would be to slightly bow down or to shake hands. The shaking hands is an example of cultural diffusion because it is a western custom that has diffused and entered into the Korean culture. The gift giving aspect of Korean culture has a basic rule: if you recieve a gift, then you have to give a gift to the person. Generally people give the gift of fruits because it is not that expensive, and the reciever wont feel compelled to reciprocate with another expensive gift.When entering the house it is appropriate to take your shoes off and allow the host to welcome you in individually. People usually dress formally and simply without much jewelery.
     One of the most important celebrations in South Korea is the Lotus Lantern Festival. It is the celebration of Buddha's birthday. The lanterns are made in the form of lotus shapes. Despite the fact that South Korea is not a Buddhist country, they feel that the festival's traditions represent the culture of South Korea the most. There are booths that display the Buddhist traditions from around the world., as well as performances with singing and dasncing. The festival takes place from May 18th to 20th in Seoul, South Korea. There is also a street parade in which foreigners are huge participants.