Chuseok

Chuseok is one of the most significant holidays in Korea and is a 3-day celebration during the harvest season. Traditionally it is a celebration of the year’s prosperities and good harvest. For Koreans, this is a time for families to gather together to give thanks and to remember and honor their ancestors.  I suppose it is believed that just as a strong root system is important for producing healthy crops, the same value is placed on ancestral roots as the anchor for continuing generations.

Apparently there are numerous harvest events and traditional folk games going on during this time that are organized by local city governments. So, to kick off the holiday, a few fellow teachers and I walked over to a nearby field where we found pretty much the entire town gathered around in a circle formation, holding hands and singing - turning clockwise, then counterclockwise. The dance is called Ganggang-sullae.

 This was the wishing "tree" where people had hung their wishes. We weren't about to pass up that opportunity so all of us wrote our wishes down on a slip of paper and then all the kids went running up to see if they could make out what we had written ....

.... and then this happened! Uh, we think this was a good thing. I mean, wishes only come true if they're torched to smithereens, right?

                                                                                                                                                                           These were dancers dressed in traditional Hanbok

This was a really awesome experience and I was elated to have been a part of it all.

Now, the thing about the Chuseok holiday is that many Koreans return to their hometowns to eat copious amounts of food (food? oh, I almost digressed but I will stay on track) and spend time with families. SO, for us "foreigners", this was prime time to be in Seoul! I will write about the trip to Seoul (Part deux, errr I guess it would be Part dul) but not before seeing the shout out from Secretary "Clinon", wishing the Republic of Korea a joyous holiday here.