8. 15 Liberation Day of Korea

광복절  Liberation Day of Korea  -  Google Doodle   August 15th is the National Liberation Day of Korea or Gwangbokjeol, meaning “Restoration of Light.” One of the holidays celebrated all over Korea, Gwangbokjeol marks the end of World War II and the Korean peninsula becoming a sovereign nation. This national holiday is celebrated by Korean communities all over the world. The flag seen in today’s Doodle, known as T'aegukki, will be displayed atop public buildings, in doorways or even in trees. The name T'aegukki derives from the taeguk circle in the center, whose red upper section corresponds to the yang and the blue section to the yin. The white background represents peace and purity, while the black trigrams in the four corners illustrate Taoist principles of reality: sky ( Geon ) on the upper left, water ( Gam ) on the upper right, earth ( Gon ) on the lower right, and ( Ri ) fire on the lower left. The flowers also seen in Doodles are an image of the beloved Hibiscus syriacus flower, known locally as mugunghwa. White, pink and violet variations abound in the late summer and early fall, and its beauty and resilience carry deep symbolic meaning in Korean culture. The flower has been cherished on the Korean peninsula since antiquity, its name appears in the national anthem as a symbol of posterity, and the highest order bestowed by the South Korean government bears its name.