Day of proclamation of the Korean alphabet (09/10)

On October 9, South Korea celebrates the Day of the Proclamation of the Korean Alphabet, or Hangul Day (田 ⁇ ), since the original alphabet of the Korean language is called Hangul. And today they celebrate its creation and proclamation in the country as King Sejong the Great.

King Sejong promulgated the publication of a document representing the new alphabet in 1446 in the ninth month of the lunar calendar. In 1926, the Hangul Society celebrated the 480th anniversary of the declaration of the Korean alphabet on the last day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, which corresponded to November 4 according to the Gregorian calendar.

In 1931, the celebration was postponed to October 29 according to the Gregorian calendar, three more years later — to October 28 due to the fact that many claims were received, which noted that in 1446 the Julian calendar was in circulation.

In 1940, the original source of the document was discovered, reporting that the new alphabet was announced during the first ten days of the ninth lunar month. The tenth day of the ninth lunar month in 1446 corresponded to October 9, 1446 according to the Julian calendar.

In 1945, the South Korean government officially set the Day of Proclamation of the Korean Alphabet for October 9. This day became a day off for government employees.

The day lost its status as a public holiday in 1991 under pressure from a large number of employers who opposed the increase in non-working days. But, nevertheless, Korean Alphabet Day still retains the status of a national holiday. The Korean Alphabet Society advocates for the revival of the celebration at the state level.

As before, on Korean Literature Day, various festive events dedicated to national culture and literature are held. Many linguists abroad and Korean language enthusiasts also join the festivities.

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