Pepero Day?... November 11th is the 60th Anniversary of 'Nongupin's Day'

‘The Foundation of Agriculture’ Soil (土) is 十 and 一... The First ‘Farmers' Day’ in Wonju in 1964
Annual Commemorative Events Since National Legal Holiday Designation in 1996
Wonju City to Hold National Ceremony for 30th Anniversary of Legal Holiday Designation Next Year

November 11 has become popularly known as "Pepero Day," where people exchange long, stick-shaped snacks. However, few remember that November 11 holds a more meaningful and historically significant title as "Farmers' Day."

November 11 is Farmers' Day, a legal commemorative day that reflects on the agricultural philosophy of "being born from the soil, living on the soil, and returning to the soil." The date was chosen because the Chinese character for soil, 토(土), is composed of the characters for ten (十) and one (一), which together resemble the date 11/11, symbolizing two overlapping elevens.

Every year, November 11th is "Farmers' Day." The place that established November 11th as Farmers' Day and held the first commemorative event was Wonseong-gun (now Wonju-si). The photo shows a ceremony held at the Wonseong-gun Public Stadium on the occasion of the 5th Farmers' Day in 1968. Photo by Wonju City Hall

The origin of Farmers' Day is Wonju. In 1964, the Wonseong-gun Agricultural Improvement Club (now the Wonju Federation of Rural Leaders) held the first "Wonseong-gun Farmers' Day" at the Wonseong-gun Farmers' Hall on November 11 at 11 o'clock, based on the "Samto Ideology" which states, "People are born from the soil, live on the soil, and return to the soil." The date was chosen because the soil character 토(土) appears three times on 11(土) month 11(土) day 11(土) hour.

Since then, the event has been held annually, and this year marks the 61st anniversary of the Wonju Farmers' Day celebration.

The Wonju Federation of Rural Leaders played a significant role in the process of establishing Farmers' Day as a legal commemorative day. From 1980 to 1995, they continuously petitioned the government to designate "Farmers' Day," achieving success in 1996 when November 11 was officially declared a national commemorative day called "Farmers and Fishermen's Day."

To commemorate this, in 2002, Wonju City erected a monument celebrating the establishment of Farmers' Day at Dangun Neighborhood Park, the site of the original Wonseong-gun Farmers' Hall where the first event was held.

Every year on November 11, a harvest thanksgiving ritual called "Samto Ceremony" is held here, and the monument has become a sacred site for farmers nationwide, with members of agricultural organizations visiting regularly.

Over time, the Wonju Farmers' Day event has undergone many changes and developments. Since 2003, it has evolved into an event that includes not only producers but also consumers, the citizens. Starting in 2010, to widely promote the origin of Farmers' Day, the commemorative event was named the "Samto Cultural Festival," featuring nationwide events such as traditional percussion competitions and agricultural product exhibitions, growing into a national agricultural cultural festival.

From 2018, aiming to develop it into a nationwide cultural tourism agricultural and rural festival, the Samto Cultural Festival was renamed the "Samto Festival," and the commemorative ceremony and events were separated.

The Samto Festival is held in September to October with the theme of urban-rural coexistence, while the commemorative ceremony takes place on November 11 with farmers and their families participating in an event dedicated to farmers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only the commemorative ceremony was held for a while, but the Samto Festival resumed in 2022. This year, under the theme "Generational Empathy! Enjoying a Farm Party in Wonju!," it was promoted as a cultural tourism participatory agricultural and rural festival featuring various experiences, performances, and competitions. The Farmers' Day commemorative ceremony is scheduled to be held on the 11th at the permanent performance venue in the Dancing Performance Hall parking lot.

Wonju City strives to revive the fading meaning of agriculture, rural areas, and the philosophy of life through Farmers' Day, and to pass on and develop agricultural and rural culture for future generations.

Additionally, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of its designation as a legal commemorative day in 2025, Wonju, the birthplace of Farmers' Day, is planning to host a national commemorative ceremony.

Wonju Mayor Won Kang-su said, "Congratulations on the 60th anniversary of Wonju Farmers' Day this year," and added, "I hope this day will be a meaningful occasion to express gratitude to the hardworking farmers once again."