Traditional Christmas Greeting: "Sung Tan Chuk Ha"
Location: Pacific Rim
Tree Type: Cultural

Decorations:
- Kites
- Lanterns
- Stockings
- Lucky Pouch

Traditions:
Though Christianity is fairly new to Korea (it was first introduced just over 200 years ago), between 25 and 30 percent of the population celebrates Christmas every year. Evidence of Christmas – songs on the radio, decorations in stores – usually only appears a few days before the 24th.

The festive Christmas Eve meal rarely includes ham or turkey. Instead, Korean Christians eat gimchi or kimchi (spicy pickled vegetables), duk (hot rice cake soup), bulgogii (barbecued beef), and naeng myeon (noodles made from sweet potatoes or mung beans). After dinner most families attend a late church service. Once the service is over, older children spend the next several hours caroling. They sing from door to door, refreshed by snacks and hot drinks at each house, sometimes until four or five o'clock in the morning. Younger children, of course, go home to rest. Some put posuns (thin socks) at the heads of their beds in the hopes that Grandfather Santa will fill them with treats during the night. Whatever their nighttime activities have been, families usually attend church together again the next morning to continue celebrating the joy of the season.