“Chuseok” - Korean Thanksgiving

“Chuseok” - Korean Thanksgiving

So it has been a busy busy time in and out of school. It is the second busiest holiday season for Koreans (I have yet to learn what the most busiest is); Chuseok. This holiday is comparable to our Thanksgiving in that it is a time to be thankful for the harvest and is related to the harvest moon. The people make an effort to go to their hometowns and gather with family to perform ancestral worship. This (from what I have gathered) includes tending/pruning grave sites, prayer, and possibly the offering of food to one’s ancestors. The main food that is eaten at Chuseok is “Songpyeon”-- it is a rice dough that is somewhat flattened into a small pocket and sweet seeds or sugar are folded into the center-- think turnover style. I was fortunate enough to make it at school with my students. Actually, “Chuseok” day at school was my favourite teaching day thus far!
We (Roberta and I) got to school and lined up in front of the front desk and awaited our students as we do every morning. They all ran out of the elevator screaming “GOOD MORNING TEACHER” again this was the same as it is every morning... only this time they were a sea of colours! They were the most adorable things anyone has ever scene. 99% of the students were dressed in a traditional Korean costume called a; Hanbok. The day then consisted of making Songpyeon and travelling to various stations to play games/ or learn traditions. The stations included; a hopping on one foot/wrestling game called “Cock Fighting”, then there was tea etiquette, jegichagi, tombstone, an arrow game, and finally hopscotch. I was in charge of hopscotch. This was good and bad. I didn’t get to travel around with my class to learn about the other traditions but I did get to meet all the kindergartens in the school and practice leading/modifying something that seems so simple-- yet is a little difficult to accommodate all students. It also wore me out completely and made me sweat a bucket in the hanbok they gave me to wear. I ended up having to hold the hand of each kindergartener-- and do the hopscotch with them. That is like 20 students times at least six classes- and eight hops per hopscotch- like 960 hops!!! ha ha no wonder i was sweaty! But it was such a fun day all around!