South Korean Holidays - Children's Day (Orini Nal)

Children's Day in South Korea is an annual holiday, a day off, fixed at the state level The residents themselves call their holiday Orini Nal Orini is a new word introduced into the language by Ban Jung Hwan, literally meaning “young man with equal rights” This is a call to respect children's opinions, not to demand anything, but only to give love and care Teacher PCh Hwang was a writer of children's literature who published his works in the magazine Orini, which he published himself May 1, 1923 is the date of the creation of the organization in which he acted as the main ideologist with the main task of conveying to all people the idea that children have their rights From now on, the countdown begins for the official celebration of Korean Children's Day Such concern for the lives of young residents did not arise without reason At the beginning of the 20th century, Japan completely broke the sovereignty of Korea by seizing it by force Gradually subjugating the inhabitants to their power, the Japanese actually turned them into slaves, not only taking away half of the food, but also forbidding Korean children to learn their native language The future of the nation was under threat, and the activities of Hwang’s organization were precisely directed against the assimilation of local residents, the loss of identity, cultural values, and even the possible disappearance of the Korean people The government, of course, did not like such activities: in 1937 the holiday was cancelled Only after throwing off the shackles of colonial Japanese oppression in 1946, restoring independence through the division of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea was able to revive the tradition, but changed the date to May 5th The mentality of Koreans gradually changed Nowadays, children are loved and respected by everyone from teenagers to the older generation, without being divided into friends and foes, and the celebration of Children's Day is proof of this On this day, theatrical performances based on fairy tales and stories by PCh are popular Hwana, where all the actors are schoolchildren The book “The Gift of Love” by the main Korean ideologist of children's rights is of particular memorable value for Koreans It is a special honor to read from the stage an excerpt from this work or any other that promotes children’s rights Thematic show programs for little ones are organized: soap bubbles, kites; competitions and sports are for older children, but even babies in strollers are not left without attention On May 5th, it is customary to decorate children's vehicles They are especially numerous on the streets of the capital, because almost all roads lead to the most famous amusement park in Asia and the world-famous Lotte World Mass entertainment: circuses, zoos, amusement parks are absolutely free all day long, which allows you to have fun like never before from morning until evening