행복한 추석 (Happy Chuseok) 2013

Hey everyone! So as you may have noticed, it had been about a month since my last entry.... me so sorry. But what can I say? As I have stated in my previous blog entries life in Korea is so ordinary. I eat, sleep, work, socialize, and everything else that involves normal day living. It isn't so much about exploring and getting "oo'd and aa'd anymore...because everything  that once was noteworthy is now my daily life! ^_^

Anyways though, something that I wrote about last year at this time was the annual Korean holiday of Chuseok!


추석 (Chuseok) is a major holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Similar to the American Thanksgiving, it is a harvest festival held around the Autumn Equinox. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food such as songpyeon and rice wines such as sindoju and dongdongju.  Although Chuseok itself is a single day, the holiday period includes the day before and after, involving an array of traditional activities. Early on Chuseok morning, the family gathers together to perform traditional ancestral rites. A feast of traditional Korean foods is prepared for the memorial service, after which everyone enjoys the festive meal and exchanges gifts.

Super delicious Songpyeon (sweet steemed rice cakes) I learned how to make this as part of my cooking class with my kindergartners ^_^

A typical feast for Chuseok. I enjoyed similar food, but without a korean family but rather with my expat family.

During Chuseok, nearly all (young) Korean people leave the city in order to return back to their family's hometown for the holiday.  While families enjoy festive meals, cultural activities, giving one another gifts, playing games, drinking ^_^, and other memorable moments. The non koreans living here enjoy their 5 day weekend (since Chuseok is celebrated over the course of 3 days followed by Saturday and Sunday)
So how did I enjoy my second 5 day Chuseok Thanksgiving? Oh just with a trip down to my most favorite city in Korea, Busan. I actually visited Busan last Chuseok as well. Each trip was different and had it's own high points. This....is my Chuseok 2013 experience. Enjoy!