Chuseok

Today I received an email from KTO with the list of the names of the 100 prize winners of the preliminary round of the Blog Korea Contest. The unexpected has happened; my name was on that list. Actually I thought that my chances were slim as I don’t have many people following my blog and not that many comments either. No, I did not win a notebook or a camera, I only got a MP3 player. It doesn’t matter, as I’m more than happy to have made it to this round and I am more interested in the prizes for this round i.e. if I can qualify for the next 30. And I’m definitely going to do my best in this round to achieve what I'm aiming for - the Trip to Korea! If I win it then it’ll be like a dream come true for me because it’s what I’ve been dreaming of all the time. Nothing could make me happier than to celebrate my birthday in Korea and to watch the beautiful autumn leaves at the same time. Dear God, I hope you are listening to me; I need your help desperately.
There are 3 major holidays in Korea, Seollal (New Year’s Day) Dano (a folk festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month) and Chuseok(Full Moon Harvest Holiday or sometimes referred to as Hangawi,). Hangawi is the day in which Koreans thank their ancestors for the year’s harvest and share their abundance with family and friends.
Since it is now September I thought it would be appropriate if I wrote about Chuseok since it’s usually celebrated around this time of the year. According to the lunar calendar, the actual date of Chuseok this year falls on 3rd October. I tried looking up the KTO website for the date it will be celebrated officially but I could not get the information. So you have to excuse me if I cannot give you that information.
And now I shall describe to you how it is celebrated with all the traditions and ceremonies involved. Let us take a closer look into what Chuseok means to the Koreans. Shops and businesses are all closed for Chuseok which means that it must be an important day for them. Why? Chuseok is a time when families and friends gather together to share food and enjoy themselves in each other’s company, giving thanks to their ancestors for the year’s bountiful harvests.
As with most Korean celebrations, there are always certain procedures and customs which are handed down through the ages, and which needed to be performed to the very letter. In other words what is going on in one house will be the same in the next and so forth. So one watching the ceremonies being performed will automatically know what’s coming next. I really admire the Korean people of today, especially the younger generation. Though they may be involved in the world of technology and IT, their roots are still very strong where their culture is concerned. First sons in the family are supposed to take care of their parents in their old age, how’s this for filial piety? The way they show respect by bowing every time some younger person greets an older relative shows that they were very well brought up. I find the Koreans are very respectful and polite to the elderly, something which is very rare in the world of today.

      
On the morning of Chuseok Day, Songpyeon (a type of Korean rice cake) and food prepared with the year’s fresh harvest are arranged to give thanks to ancestors through Charye (ancestor memorial service). Formal Charye services are held twice a year during Seollal (New Year’s Day) and Chuseok. The difference between the two services is that during Seollal the major representative food is white tteok-guk, a rice cake soup, while during Chuseok the major representative food is freshly harvested rice. After the service, the family members sit down together at the table to enjoy some delicious food to symbolize their blessings.

After Charye, families visit their ancestors’ graves. Visiting ancestral graves during Chuseok is known as ‘Seongmyo’ and during this visit, family members usually cut the weeds that have grown around the graves during the summer. Taking care of the ancestral graves such as removing weeds is called ‘Beolcho’. This custom is considered a duty and an expression of devotion. On the weekends, about one month prior to the Chuseok holidays, Korea’s highways become extremely congested with families visiting their ancestral graves to fulfill their ancestral duties.

As the night nears, families and friends enjoy the beautiful view of the full harvest moon and play folk games such as Ganggangsullae (Korean circle dance). Mothers and daughters dressed in hanbok gather around in a circle, holding hands, and sing together. This dance originated from the Joseon Dynasty during the Japanese invasion when the Korean army dressed Korean mothers and daughters in military uniforms and had them circle a mountain peak to make the Japanese think the Korean military was greater in number than it actually was. Through this strategy, the Koreans were eventually able to defeat the Japanese
Traditionally on Chuseok, the head of the household would buy new clothes for everyone, including the servants. This custom was known as Chuseokbim. Usually, a traditional hanbok is worn, but nowadays newly purchased clothes are not limited to hanbok. Today, families put on a modern type of hanbok called Chuseokbim and hold Charye services, and afterwards, they enjoy their time together.
Chuseok is a time for rich plentiful harvests. Therefore there are many fruits and newly harvested rice with which rice, tteok, and drinks are made from. Songpyeon is one of the representative snacks of Chuseok. This rice cake is prepared with rice or non-glutinous rice powder that is kneaded into the perfect size, then filled with sesame seeds, beans, red beans, chestnuts, and a host of other nutritious foods. When steaming the songpyeon, the bottom of the rice cakes are layered with pine needles, which fill the rice cakes with their delightful fragrance. On the evening of Chuseok Eve, the entire family gathers together to make songpyeon under the bright moon. There is an old Korean saying that says that the person who makes the most beautiful songpyeon will meet a good-looking spouse. Therefore, the single members of the family try their best to make the nicest looking songpyeon as they laugh out loud in merriment. 

Of course to enjoy food it has to be accompanied by liquor. This is a traditional Chuseok drink made from newly harvested rice and is also known as “The Hundred Year” Drink. People who look forward to this major holiday are also rich in generosity and like to share their generosity over drinks. So that’s how the Koreans spend a typical Chuseok day. It’s all about family relationship, friends, customs, ancestral worship, food and wonderful memories. Mainly it’s about Thanksgiving. Like the Americans say, happy thanksgiving!
In Seoul during the Chuseok holidays, most places are closed for business except for tourist attractions and places of interest that will be the venues for holding special Chuseok ceremonies. If you happen to be in Seoul during this period, do not worry about not having anywhere to go to for enjoyment. Usually the palaces and parks will hold various traditional events and activities during the holidays. Other recommended places include the Korean Folk Village, and the Hanok Village where traditional dance performances and traditional hands-on programs might be held. In addition, various folk game programs and folk performances might be staged at the many palaces in Seoul. Sometimes during the Chuseok holidays, the palaces even offer free admission to all guests wearing hanbok (traditional Korean dresses). One can even participate in the many traditional Korean games like neolttwigi (seesaw jumping), Tuho Deonjigi (arrow throwing), Jegichagi (tassel kicking), and Paengichigi (top spinning) that may be offered. But check first before going because the programs and activities vary from year to year.

And now I’m going to tell you about how the Koreans spend Seollal or their New Year. Again the date for celebrating it is based on the lunar calendar, the 1st day of the 1st month, (usually between January and February) If I’m not mistaken it’s also the same day the Chinese celebrate their New Year.
Seollal is a time for going home to visit family; you could call it the “reunion” I guess. It’s also the only time you can find Seoul virtually deserted as most of the city is closed for the holidays.

Seollal’s morning begins with a traditional ceremony commemorating ancestors. The ceremony consists of a table of various dishes made in remembrance of the ancestors, and as a show of respect family members bow down in front of the ancestor’s names. The ceremony is also a wish for health and happiness in the New Year for the descendants. The prepared ceremony dishes are shared among family members after the ceremony has finished.

A dish that always decorates the Seollal table is tteokguk. Tteokguk is thinly sliced white rice cakes cooked in beef broth. Family members share well-wishing remarks over a bowl of tteokguk. Also, eating tteokguk is symbolic of aging one more year
You’d be surprised at what the Koreans do on New Year’s day. They play Seollal Traditional games all dressed up in their new clothes. Here’s a list of games including the instructions for playing which I sourced from the KTO website.

Jegichagi are coins wrapped in paper with feathers attached, and you have to keep it in the air with your feet. It’s similar to a shuttlecock game played with your feet. According to legends, jegichagi originated from China’s martial arts, where martial artists trained by kicking small leather sacks.
How to Play the Game:
Four people kick the jegi in the direction of north → east → west → south → north, and the person who drops the jegi loses. Jegi is easily made with coins and Korean paper, but can also be bought at stationary stores
Neolttuigi」 Picture B
It looks very similar to a seesaw, but it requires perfect timing between the two persons to do it right. Neol is made with a sheaf of straw placed centrally under a thick, but slim and long wooden plank. A person gets on each end of the plank, and together the two people need to time their jumps to bounce each other high into the air. It looks easier than it actually is, and offers great traditional fun. 
Paengi」 Picture C
Paengi is an acorn-shaped, pointy object, which you spin and has taken on various shapes. Korea’s paengi uses a long string to spin it, and the longer the paengi spins, the better. There are many ways to enjoy the game, but the most common ones are who can spin the paengi the longest, who’s paengi knocks out the other’s paengi, and to spin the paengi along a set course.
Yeonnalligi」 Picture D
Some paper is attached to a bamboo frame, and it is connected to a long string and flown into the sky. In Korea, well-wishing symbols are written on the yeon (explain what this is) and it’s sent up into the sky as far as the attached string will go, then the string is cut. Koreans used to make wishes for health and happiness for the New Year as a part of yeonnalligi. You can also play games with yeonnalligi by competing to see who can cut the other’s yeon string first.

Yunnori」 Picture E
Four bamboo sticks in different shapes and form are thrown on the ground, and you move your game piece according to the number that comes up. All four sticks are thrown together, and your game piece must cross the finish line to win. If you move to a place already taken by someone else’s game piece, the other person’s game piece is sent back to the start line, and you are allowed one more throw and a bonus chance. It’s similar to the game of chess, but offers some Korean traditional fun
Tuho」 Picture F
This was a royal court game in the past, and teams are divided into the red team and the blue team. Each team must put the most arrows into a specified hole. It looks easy, but the hole is quite small and to throw the arrows accurately to make it go into the hole is not as easy as it seems for it requires good concentration and some power.

Seollal is the best time to come out and play, yes, play! Yes come and play traditional games such as yunnori, paengi, jegichagi and neolttwigi with the Koreans.  What better way to expose yourself to a bit of Korean culture than to mingle with them. If you are dressed in a hanbok you might even gain free entry into the palaces. You’d be surprised to find many Korean families around the sightseeing places with their families all dressed in their hanboks. It’s a lovely sight, to behold, the amount of hanboks you can see around you on Seollal. It’s not what you can see daily in Seoul. The whole place is so colourful, enjoy yourself and bring back some wonderful memories of Korea by capturing everything on your camera. Who knows you might even be invited by a Korean family to spend Seollal with them? It has happened before, you know!