Getting there. I’m only about a week behind on blogging now and this weekend should be pretty quiet so hopefully I’ll be up to date by the middle of next week.

Anyway had to put these pictures up because the children look soooooooooooooo cute!!! Did I just say that – kids cute – what’s wrong with me??

Plus it is the ideal opportunity for me to find out more about traditional Korean clothing and the Ch’usok celebrations. Ch’usok I’m told is like a Korean thanksgiving. Obviously not being American that doesn’t mean a huge amount to me!!! So I intend to find out more.

Irene is fast becoming my favourite student, probably because she’s the cutest, one of the youngest and a complete tomboy. Plus for some reason she seems to really like me!

Right onto Ch’usok.

Ch’usok is a Korean holiday held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Whilst Koreans live by the western calendar they also use the lunar calendar and many of their national holidays are based on the lunar calendar. Ch’usock is also spelt Chu-sok, Chusok or Chuesok. I have used Ch’usok for no other reason than that is it the way the Korean teachers at my school spell it! Ch’usok is also known as Harvest Day, Harvest Moon festival or Hankawi. Han meaning great and Kawi meaning middle – or – A great day in the middle of autumn.

The legend behind the origins of Ch’usok says that it originated during the ancient Shilla Kingdom when a month long weaving festival was held. The king divided the city into teams for the contest and appointed the princess to lead the teams. The king announced the winner on the day of the eighth full moon. The loosing team had to provide food, drink and entertainment for a party involving the whole city.

Having read a little about Ch’usok this legend doesn’t make a huge amount of sense in relation to the significance of Ch’usok being about celebrating a great day in the autumn. Ch’usok is best translated as meaning ‘Bountiful Abundance’. And it is celebrated during harvest season and Korean families take this time to thank their ancestors for providing them with rice and fruits.

Because of the importance of ancestors during Ch’usok Korean families travel to their home town during this time. This is because their hometown is were there were born and raised and where the spirits of their ancestors are enshrined. Often during Ch’usok roads and motorways are jammed because of the number of people traveling. One student told me they even provide special portable toilets on the sides of the motorway to accommodate the number of travelers!

Ch’usok is a family orientated festival so it is impossible for foreigner to get involved unless they are invited into the home of a Korean, which is not very likely to happen even if you have a very close friendship. Everything closes during the festival (like Christmas day in the UK) so there isn’t a lot to do. Therefore Emily and me decided we would go away to the Andong maskdance festival during the Chu’sok period. Naively we left booking transport until the last minute. The number of Koreans who travel during this time was hit home to us when we realised we were unable to get seats on any train traveling back to Inchon during the three days after Ch’sok because the Koreans were traveling back to their hometowns after visiting relatives.

On Chu’sok day families perform ancestral worship rituals in the morning and visit the graves of their immediate ancestors during to trim plants, clean around the area and offer them food made especially for the festival, drink and crops. Harvest crops are attributed to the blessing of ancestors, and Chuseok offers Koreans a unique opportunity to refresh their memory of and show gratitude to their ancestors.

* Posted by j150vsc on 12/10/2006.