Table of Content
Today, as well, showing respect and honoring one’s ancestors is an essential part of Chuseok. A variety of folk games are played on Chuseok to celebrate the coming of autumn and rich harvest. Sonori is a folk performance where Village folk dress themselves to resemble a cow or turtle and go from house to house along with a nongak band playing pungmul music.
Color-wise, it usually comes in white, pink, green, and brown. Chuseok is an important holiday celebrated in Korea, as it is considered as the Korean Thanksgiving. But Chuseok is actually a celebration of the mid-autumn full moon during which people gather before the harvest to enjoy food, play games, and pray for a bountiful year. In such cases, you may consider buying honey or dried fish products. If you go to the department stores, you may also seek advice from the shop assistants as to the appropriate types of gifts – they are very happy to help. Another popular Korean traditional food that people eat during Chuseok is hangwa.
The Most Common Korean Words and Basic Vocabulary
People also buy gifts for their family members and close friends. Like many other harvest festivals around the world, it is held around the autumn equinox, i.e. at the very end of summer or in early autumn. Perhaps a downgrade from hanu, but spam is a steady seller among holiday gifts. It will be there in the cupboard when you need it to help you through low times. A spam gift set holds stacks of cans, giving an abundant impression.
Festivals in North Korea have military parades in many of the celebrations. The celebration of Chuseok in North Korea is a time when people have a feast that is prepared on some occasions only. While in South Korea the festivals are celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and participation. People indulge in games, tourism, and many other things to enjoy their time to the fullest. Many dishes are prepared on Chuseok that include meats, fruits, soups, and banchan. The dishes need to be arranged in the correct row and direction.
What is a good gift to give Korean friend?
If you are eager to celebrate Chusek the traditional way, grab a seat at the Sossaum stadium. Apart from the live audience, it’s a tradition for the whole family to sit together and watch the fight on TV from their homes. Initially people gifted each other necessities like soaps, condiments, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and oil.
As years passed by people started giving each other cosmetics and hygiene products. The word Chuseok translates to ‘autumn evening’, which is the exact time when the festival is celebrated. Since people return to their ancestral homes to celebrate Chuseok with their families, many restaurants are closed during the span of the festival. But, some of the restaurants are open in tourist attraction spots for foreigners. The one way to celebrate Chuseok is to spend it with family and close ones. Cleaning the tombs of the ancestors and paying your respects to them by offering them the Chuseok feast.
the Han’s Headless Ferryman and Riverboat Travel
Ssireum (씨름) is thought to be one of the oldest sports in Korea, with a history of about 5000 years, dating back to the Goguryeo Dynasty. It is a wrestling match where opponents grab each other by a rope wrapped around the waist and leg and try to put the other’s upper body to the ground. Back in the day the competition was fierce, since the winners would get consistent prizes such as bags of rice or even a cow.
An ancestral ceremony called charye is also held, which entails filling a table with harvested rice and fruit to give thanks to ancestors for an abundant harvest. Chuseok is a harvest festival that is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Since the mid-autumn festival is celebrated in many Asian countries, China is one of the countries having some similar legends too. It is believed in China that the jade rabbit can be seen pounding something on the moon on the night of the mid-autumn festival.
The younger generation is turning vegetarian for the benefit of animal rights awareness but the older generation appreciates hanwoo or hanu as a gift. It is obtained from a cattle breed from South Korea; the availability is less due to lesser space for breeding which results in its high price. These half-moon rice cakes will then be steamed with pine needles to create a more distinctive taste. The family prepares these rice cakes the evening before Chuseok, and it looks like the lunar moon. It’s a popular belief that those who succeed in making beautifully shaped songpyeon will give birth to a beautiful child or have a successful marriage. Some scholars also tie Chuseok to Korea’s history, wherein agriculture was a big part of daily life.
This traditional Korean rice cake is prepared with rice powder, filled with sesame seed, red beans, other beans, chestnuts, and so on. During Chuseok, it’s normal to visit the ancestral graves and pluck the weeds that have grown around the grave since last time. It’s considered a familial duty and a sign of devotion and often takes place already shortly before the Chuseok holiday itself. Chuseok (추석) is often called “Korean Thanksgiving.” It shares similar traditions to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.
Therefore, most people in the country go back to their grandparents during this fest. Chuseouk is also popularly known as ‘Hangawi’, which means the middle of autumn according to the Lunar calendar. It is known such because, according to the Lunar Calendar, Chuseok is on the 15th of the eighth month. When we compare the Lunar Calendar to our regular calendar, Chuseok falls in between September & October.
These are made using fish, sweet potato, zucchini, and other ingredients coated with egg and/or flour and then pan-fried. Japchae is another traditional Korean dish to prepare and eat over Chuseok. One of the main characteristics of the service is bowing to your ancestors. If you plan to travel to Korea during this time, be sure to plan accordingly.
Even though the festival takes place every year from September-October, the dates fluctuate. The Korean harvest festival is a time of mass celebration and as stated by the historic records, it involves worshipping the moon goddess. People travel back home from cities and spend time with their close ones and families. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. In fact, you do not need to worry about where to buy the Chuseok gifts in South Korea.
Sometimes they are arranged together with cooking oils and other everyday condiments in flat, large rectangular boxes in several sizes and prices. Chuseok is a time when the cook of the house requires more cooking ingredients than ever to feed the gathered family. With one box of this, there will be enough inventory to last the family through the holidays.
Although the gift options may change, it seems the fact that Koreans prefer practical gifts remains unchanged over time. The packaging is very clean and it makes raw meat look very appetizing. One of the signature products is the semi-dried yellow Corvina fish. In addition to that, abalone, seaweed, and anchovies are also given in the seafood gift set. Gifting something that can be used by all the members of the family rather than an individual is always better.
No comments:
Post a Comment