Chuseok!

This week we have a six-day vacation because it's Chuseok time! (pronounced "chew-suck")

Korean kids in their hanboks!

Similar to American Thanksgiving, Korean Chuseok is one of the two biggest holiday of the year here, maybe THE biggest!  The date always changes because it goes according to the lunar calendar.  It is on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar (so this year- Sept. 30).  Here's a little info about it for those of you wondering.

History: 
There are mixed reports about this.  Some say it is simply to celebrate the harvest time of the year, other places I read said that it began thousands of years ago during the Silla (pronounced "Shilla") Dynasty when they had a weaving contest between two princesses.  The loser had to present the winner with a big feast.  When I told my students about this version of the history most of them had no idea what I was talking about.

Activities:

Like American Thanksgiving, Chuseok is a time for family and food. It is expected that each family should return to their home town. They should spend Chuseok day at the husband’s family’s house. Then if there is time they will also visit the wife’s family. It is absolutely required that the wife help her mother-in-law with all of the cooking, which is a source of much stress for our lady students. Because of all of this traveling, Chuseok traffic is a widely known and feared phenomenon. Typical drive times double, and people wait outside the train ticket office like their selling tickets to a rock concert.  One statistic I read said that last year during the 6 day Chuseok holiday, there were 3.76 million vehicles on the road each day!

Once the families have arrived there are three main activities: gifts, eating (traditional Korean food like japchae (a noodle and veggie dish), savory Korean pancakes, and most importantly and unique to Chuseok- songpyeon.  Songpyeon is a food made out of rice shaped into a crescent and filled with nuts and sugar, etc. ,)  and bowing to ancestors.  Everyone gets gifts at Chuseok. The stores all sell these big, over-priced boxes of gifts like olive oil, ginseng, or even Spam. These are given to all of your close adult relations. Many of these gifts will cost $50-$100 dollars each.  The children get money.  After they put on their little hanboks (traditional Korean formal wear) the children bow to their parents and family members, and for their trouble are handed envelopes full of cash. We’ve heard that a kid getting $100 at Chuseok would be a disappointing year for him or her. Next comes the eating, with lots and lots of food.  After the meal is finished, the whole family will pile into their cars and drive out to their family’s mountain, where their ancestors are buried. They all do a special Chuseok bow (different from your typical bow), giving thanks for the blessings of the previous year.  When the family returns home they will often play board or card games until the wee hours of the night.  Happy Chuseok everyone!  See you back in America for our Thanksgiving!
(This post brought to you by the joint contributions of team Campbell! Thanks hubby for helpin' out with this one!)