'Not Christmas but "Gidok Tansil"?... Netizens in Confusion Over Unfamiliar Term'

'Buddha's Birthday·Christian Christmas' Substitute Holidays Confirmed
Some Netizens Say "Christian Christmas Neologism?"

With Christmas Day designated as a substitute holiday, some people are finding the term 'Gidok Tansinil' (Christian Birthday) unfamiliar. Some netizens reacted with comments such as "Is 'Gidok Tansinil' a newly coined word?" and "I've never heard that term before."

On the 2nd, the Ministry of Personnel Management announced that at the Cabinet meeting presided over by President Yoon Suk-yeol, an amendment to the "Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices" was approved to operate substitute holidays for Buddha's Birthday and Gidok Tansinil. The amended law will be published in the official gazette within this week after the president's approval and will take effect immediately. This year, Buddha's Birthday falls on Saturday, May 27, and with a substitute holiday on the 29th, a three-day holiday (May 27?29) is possible.

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Following the announcement, some questioned the term 'Gidok Tansinil.' While 'Seokga Tansinil' (Buddha's Birthday) is familiar, 'Gidok Tansinil' is not, leading to suggestions that it might be a neologism.

Netizens commented, "I don't know where the term 'Gidok Tansinil' even came from," "Is it really necessary to use the term 'Gidok Tansinil'?" and "I'm curious why it's called 'Gidok Tansinil' instead of Christmas."

Although December 25 is commonly called Christmas or Seongtanjeol, the official name is 'Gidok Tansinil.' According to the "Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices," Article 2, Clause 10, it is officially designated as 'December 25, Gidok Tansinil.' However, since the term is currently rarely used, there are many opinions suggesting that the name should be changed to 'Seongtanjeol' (Christmas).

Buddha's Birthday was originally called 'Seokga Tansinil.' However, since 2018, the official name has been changed to 'Buddha's Birthday' (Bucheonim Osinnal). This change was made because 'Seokga' is a Chinese character transcription of 'Shakya,' the name of an ancient Indian ethnic group, and was considered inappropriate as a term referring to the Buddha.

Accordingly, the Buddhist community requested the Ministry of Personnel Management to change 'Seokga Tansinil' to 'Bucheonim Osinnal' in the presidential decree "Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices," and the government accepted this request, officially adopting 'Bucheonim Osinnal' as the name.