Friday, March 29, 2024
FILM&DRAMA

What’s on TV in Korea in the Lunar New Year Holiday?

korean new year

This year we had two days off (Thursday 30 and Friday 31 January -which was New Year’s Day.) But now, after a long weekend of eating too much, I am regretting my over-indulging and have put myself on a strict diet of radish tea. 🙁

On New Year’s Day I got up early and helped my mother-in-law prepare the dishes for the  ancestral memorial ceremony. (read what happens in Lunar New Year here) We had eaten breakfast and were done and dusted with the washing up by 10:30 am. So then it was time to settle down to watch the special holiday TV programmes while continuing to graze on raw chestnuts, dried persimmons and jujube, cinnamon drinks, Korean pears, oranges from Jeju island, rice crackers, and anything else put in front of me! (If it’s there, I’ll eat it!)

One of the variety shows on this year included a game called Idols Chicken Fight (아이돌 닭싸움) which I believe can also be called Chicken Sumo! It’s a sport involving two contestants in a ring. I don’t know if this game is played anywhere else apart from in Korea. (And it’s hard to find out as I don’t know what it would be called. I googled Chicken sumo and got nothing. 😉

chicken fight

The aim of the game is simple: knock the other player over. But this is easier said than done as you have to do this by HOPPING ON ONE LEG and holding the other leg with both hands.

개그맨 ‘gag men’ 유민상 (wearing black) vs. 박성광 (wearing white)

One hand has to be holding the bent leg at all times, so if you take your hand off your leg, you lose the game. This New Year’s Special contest also included matches between Korean Idol singers from boy bands. The idol contestants in this Chicken Fight Youtube clip are 최민호  Choi Min Ho singer with boy band 샤이니 Shinee (wearing blue) vs. 바로 Baro singer from boyband B1A4 (wearing white). Enjoy!

Leave a Reply