Children as Part
of Worldwide Traditions
Ch'u Sok in Korea
Soon Lee from Korea
Ch'u Sok, the Korean thanksgiving
day, is the most famous traditional event in Korea. The 15th day of the
eighth lunar month is called Ch'u Sok (the harvest moon) or Hangawi. It
is a time to give thanks for autumn harvests and be together with your
family.
We wake up early on this
day. We wear Korean traditional clothing called a hanbok.
A hanbok is pretty and elegant.
The roundness of the whole Hanbok shapes shows the Korean character. The
Korean character is harmony, simplicity and honesty.
Then we perform an ancestor
worship ritual. We offer our ancestors food from the harvest. Families
visit the graves of their ancestors to bow and clean the area for winter.
Songpaen is one main food
we prepare on Ch'u Sok. It is a crescent-shaped rice cake. We make songpaen
in our families and play folk games such as Kanggang Sullae (an ancient
circle dance) and Farmer's Musical Band.
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