I kind of wish that they would wear 한복 to school every day, but I don't think I could take that level of cuteness.
Monday (9/12) is Chuseok (추석), which is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month in Korea. It is a harvest festival celebrated around the Autumn Equinox, and Koreans all travel back to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors and thank them for good harvests. Since I don’t have any Korean ancestors, the part I enjoy most about 추석 is the five day weekend and the delicious traditional food. Also, it’s customary to give gifts of food for 추석, so my principal gave all of the teachers a case of Spam… what’s not to love about this holiday?
According to most of my students, 추석 is their favorite holiday because it always involves spending time with family, eating delicious food like songpyeon, japchae, and fruit, and playing traditional Korean games, like archery, tug of war, and ssireum, which is the national sport of Korea. It’s a form of wrestling where two competitors try to push each other out of a ring. Much fun is had by all.
Since 추석 is a celebration of the traditions and history of Korea, most children wear 한복 (hanbok) to their family parties and on Thursday at school, we had a mini-추석 party. All of the students and teachers wore 한복, ate traditional food, and played traditional games all morning. I felt like a true Korean rocking my 한복 all day, and I feel like I would have fit in well in Korea 300 years ago.
Jamie, Me, Hannah, Judy, and Jen looking fabulously Korean in our Hanboks
I’ve really grown quite fond of my Kindergarten students over the past 6 months (actually, that’s the understatement of a lifetime, I love them 🙂 ) and when they all showed up to school on Thursday wearing miniature 한복, I almost cried tears of joy. Look how cute they are.
Here’s a close-up of Katie, Christal, and Genie in their 한복 during library time. I love this picture because my students almost never smile when I try to take pictures of them, but I did something funny and caught them laughing. So precious.
From left: Katie, Christal, and Genie. Katie's grandma handmade her 한복!
I love being able to participate in traditional celebrations like Chuseok because they’re so different than the traditions we have for American holidays. The emphasis on family and honoring one’s ancestors is antithetical to the American mentality of focusing on the present while trying to forget our history and where we came from. Without holidays like Chuseok, it’s so easy to discount or forget about the struggles and successes of the family that came before us. It’s comforting for me to know that there are still places in the world where people are focused on being at the forefront of advancement (technologically, at least) but who still stay rooted in the past. Go Korea.
Crehan in Korea 