My favorite season. Ever.
The beginning of Fall is especially important in Korea for it is the holiday of 추석 Chuseok.
It's a time when family member gather to share food and give thanks to their ancestors.
Chuseok Day is September 29, but the holiday is observed for 3 days from September 29-October 1 (that means no work from Monday through Wednesday next week).
There's some pretty cool elements involved:
- 차례 Charye- a memorial service held in honor of the family members' ancestors. On Chuseok they present rice as an offering to their ancestors.
- 벌초 Belocho- a month prior to Chuseok family members will go to their ancestral graves to remove weeds that have grown during the summer.
- Chuseok dress- wearing traditional gown, known as hanbok.
Children hanboks sold for $50 at department stores.- 성묘 Seongmyo- visiting the graves on Chuseok and offering prayers of thanks.
- 송편 Songpyeon- the traditional food of Chuseok. Rice cakes that are shaped into balls filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts and sugar.
And then there is this, "an old Korean anecdote says that the person who makes beautiful songpyeon will meet a good spouse or give birth to a beautiful baby."
In the end, it's all about the babies.
It is also a time for gift giving.
Home Plus (my local grocery store) and all other stores are prepared for such a holiday.
Gift sets are the popular gift to give.
Here's a look at what you could give if you celebrated Chuseok in Korea:
any of these tuna/ canola oil sets
or Korean rice bars
I gasped out loud how expensive all this was. One smiling saleswoman shook her head and corrected me that it's all very reasonably priced.
Right.
Thankfully I can claim my wagookin-ness and not have to buy presents for this holiday.
I'll keep you posted on what a foreigner does during this momentous family-oriented celebration.
Until next time, peace.
$80 for 9 APPLES!?!?!? And my sister was complaining to me yesterday about spending $11 on 6 honeycrisps!
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