Although these holidays are not considered national holidays, if you have the opportunity to observe them you will be rewarded with a unique perspective on Korean culture. 
- Sokchonje
- This holiday is observed twice a year according to the lunar calendar, usually in March and August. Only staged in the courtyard of the Confucius Shrine at Sunkyunkwan University in Northern Seoul, performances are given by a traditional court orchestra and fully costumed court rituals are enacted. Take the subway to the Hyehwa stop on the blue line and ask for directions to Sunkyunkwan University (Sunkykunkwan daehak odishimnika?) It is only a short walk away.
- Harvest Moon Festival
- The Korean thanksgiving festival, or Chuseok, is perhaps the most important holiday in Korea. This holiday is on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon, and usually falls in mid to late September. Major cities are deserted as urban dwellers return to the country side to clean ancestral tombs and make offerings to their ancestors. If you like traffic jams, try driving or taking a bus somewhere during Chusok. Depending on which day of the week Chusok falls, you should get several days off during this holiday. If you are lucky enough to be invited to a Korean household to observe Chuseok you will be treated to a delicious feast and tteok for dessert - sweet rice cakes filled with honey.
- Chyongmyo Taeje
- This holiday celebrates the kings and queens of the Chosun Dynasty. Costume parades are held with court music. It takes place in Chongmyo Shrine on the first Sunday in May.
- Tano Festival
- This festival is held throughout South Korea on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (usually June) and features processions of shamans and mask dances.
- National Folk Arts Festival
- This usually takes place in September and is a great opportunity to see traditional Korean festival antics including but not limited to wagon battles and torch hurling.
- Cherry Blossom Festival
- This week long festival is held in the Southern city of Chinhae, (and a smaller festival also takes place in the city of Masan- near Pusan) usually in early to mid-April. An exact date is hard to predict because those darned cherry trees don’t always bloom on the same day each year.
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