Tis the Season: Christmas In Korea

Seasons Greetings

As the holidays approach, you may wish to greet Korean colleagues with:

Sae hae bok man i ba deu say yo! (Seasons Greetings)

(I’ll modify the Romanization for easier pronunciation).
Hint: Break the greeting into: sae hae bok—mahne—bah deu say yo

In South Korea, the government recognizes Christmas as a public holiday. Christians, who make up about 30% of the population, celebrate the occasion as a religious holiday. Like in the West, both Christians and non-Christians may engage in some holiday customs such as gift-giving, sending Christmas cards, and setting up decorated trees. Children have embraced Santa Claus, whom they call Santa Grandfather.

Each year I see more signs of commercialism with stores and buildings displaying Christmas decorations and offering holiday sales.

Sae hae bok man i ba deu say yo! works well both in person, in a card, or an email. It is a common seasonal greeting into the new year.

For those wanting to send someone Merry Christmas use: Sung tan jul chuk ha. In person, "Happy Christmas"is best.


On behalf of myself and Bridging Culture Worldwide have a happy holiday season!


Sae hae bok man i ba deu say yo!

Don