On Korean Thanksgiving

This past Saturday was the holiday that is the Korean equivalent of what we know in the U.S. as Thanksgiving. It is called, pronounced in English phonetics, Chew-Sawn. For one it meant that I had a long weekend, for which I give many thanks. From what I understand, Chew-Sawn is a more public-gathering celebration, though that does not exclude families enjoying traditional Chew-Sawn dishes at home, in thanksgiving-paralleled abundance. On this day I went to a big festival thing at “The Village,” which is open most of the year but has featured on this day more music, activities and food.

A big part of the whole ordeal is tradition, and I love that about it.

One element is playing traditional Korean games. Here you see a game that is similar to ring toss, only you try to throw those long darts into the holes on that structure for points. And don’t step over the line, of course! You can see that boy faithfully adhering to that rule.

Here you see a couple of mechanisms that add up to a game in which you use that stick and move with it to keep the metal mini-hula-hoop thing rolling. I’m not sure if there’s a game you can play with it, or stunts to be performed, but there were a lot of areas in which the clanging of those things was rampant. I love the idea that this man is passing on the game to another young generation.

Here you see a giant swing that you stood on in order to swing! There was a gigantic line of kids eager to take their turn on the swing. It was funny, because this boy riding it here, while not making any audible sounds to indicate so, was visibly scared, but I’m sure deep down he knew it was completely worth the wait.

Another tradition. Throughout everywhere we went on this day, many children (mostly about age ten and under) were wearing traditional Korean garb. You can see that in a few of these pictures. I only saw a few adults wearing this kind of thing. One of the people I was with told me that the kids LOVE wearing that kind of outfit…it’s the ultimate game of dress-up, but it of course goes deeper than that- perhaps in a way these children do not fully comprehend, yet.

I was jealous of these kids and, when it presented itself, seized the opportunity to join in on the fun. For what is about 80 cents in the U.S., I got to try on this traditional Korean outfit and had some pictures taken. I felt like a king. I could wear clothes like that more often. Ladies, don’t you want to be my Queen? Yesnoyesno? Yes.

Rice and Rice-cake related treats are a big part of Korean cuisine, especially concerning dessert. Here, kids and adults alike were welcome to take a few swinging bashes at that mass of soon-to-be rice cake, as was the traditional pre-machines way of preparing it. I could not resist putting here two pictures of the kids I witnessed; the second girl was so cute in that she could barely lift the hammer.

What you see prepared here is a very specifically arranged feast which is created in honor of someone when they pass away. The foods selected and even the order and manner in which they are arranged on the table corresponds to a very specific tradition. Certain foods pointing to the north and south poles, etc.

Finally, what you see here is a Time Capsule. It was created, stored and sealed in 1994, which was the sixth-hundredth anniversary year of Seoul’s being named the capital city of Korea. The capsule contains 300 objects representative of life in Korea, new and old, up to that point in history. The Time Capsule will be opened in the year 2394, four hundred years after it was initially sealed, which will then be the 1,000th anniversary of Seoul’s being the capital. Such a sight isn’t much to see at surface value. But the idea that specifically selected items and artifacts (the specifics of which are kept secret) meant to represent Korean life are locked in there, and will be for a few hundred years, creates a huge presence of mystery and curiosity to anyone who walks up to it. I testify to that. Engraved around the top surface around the edjes [sic] are words of well wishes from Mayors that were of other capital cities in 1994- France, India, China, etc. This undertaking was championed by Seoul’s 1994 mayor, and I think that in many ways it is a truly selfless endeavor, to create something that in most ways will only have its true payoff long after its creators have passed away. But let’s not kid ourselves- that mayor’s name is on a huge preface inscription at the display’s entrance, and his legeacy is tied to it- he is obviously going down in history.

Changdeokgung Palace

I was fortunate enough to take a tour of what is called the Changdeokchung Palace, located north of the river that runs through Seoul. The word ‘Palace’ in this context does not refer to one specific building, but rather to a series of many across an expansive tract of property. The royal families/dynasties throughout Korean history lived at this site continuously until the last Queen died there in 1989. Now, the country employs a democratically-run system of presidential elections. The first president was elected in 1987, right before the nation’s capital, Seoul, hosted the Olympics in 1988.




















This first picture I took shows Injeongjeon, the main palatial throne hall. This was the most important site of major state affairs. The coronation of new kings of Korea occurred here, as well as the ceremonious reception of important foreign diplomats. If you look at the raised walkway(s) in the center of this courtyard, you will notice that there are actually three leveled paths. These were used for introductory processions for those kinds of ceremonies. The middle walkway is the highest, upon which the King, Queen, and other highest nobles walked upon. You NEVER walked on that highest tier unless you were large and in charge. The other two walkways on either side of that middle one are a bit lower, and were for all the important nobles of authority. Once the tour guide explained this, she enthusiastically invited us to proceed through the courtyard on the center path. I was a little hesitant, questioning my worthiness, and almost wasn’t going to, but the person I was with made me.

You will also notice, on either side of the three walkways, what appears to be a long stretch of gravestones. However, engraved on those stones are names of people and their ranks. During processions, the respective person stood by their stone. They begin at the highest rank nearest to the temple and work their way back.

If you look closely on the left and right edges of the top layer roof, you can see notches on top that extend to the tips. I believe there are nine. These are small gargoyle statues, put there to ward off demon sprits from the area of the building and palace. There is good luck and karma to be had based on the number of these defender-gargoyles placed on a palace roof. You ALWAYS put an odd number on each side the roof, NEVER even. Even more particularly, you either had to put 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11. I think this one has nine. The number chosen often reflects how high-ranking in society the affairs of that building are.

The building itself bears the appearance of a two story building. However, inner inspection reveals it to be a one story palace with a luxurious ceiling. You can see a picture of the chamber within below, with the throne and the like.


We eventually proceeded to what is called the “Secret Garden(s),” which were places of repose and meditation for the royal family and company. There is a pond in the middle, with fish, and smaller huts for relaxation around it, complete with gardens with many different types of plants and bushes. I could imagine myself here reading for hours, as a prince in a royal dynasty or whatever.

You can also see here, in the picture below, a large set of stairs leading up to a building with a royal library and reading room, which overlooks that secret garden pond. You can see the three doorways near the foot of the stairs. The rules about rank that I mentioned on the three-leveled walkway apply to the passing through of those doorways as well.

We were also shown the nightly resting places of the King and Queen, who both always slept under different roofs. This is in accordance with Confucianism, which also decreed that the woman never left her separate chamber to go see her husband. The King, however, could leave his hold to go see his wife, since, under that philosophy, men were supposed to fulfill the active, dominant role and female the passive. But what if the Beatles made a surprise one-time appearance on Ed Sullivan, and only the wife happened to catch it? Too bad. She couldn’t tell the Mr.; he’d just have to wait 50 years to catch it on YouTube.

Finally, here is a picture of our tour guide. Every day, there are about ten or fifteen tours that you can join with a tour guide speaking in Korean, about three or four in English, and two in Japanese. Before the tour began she moseyed through the crowd, inquiring where the tour participants’ home countries were. I was the only one from the U.S.! There was a large group of tourists from Canada, who came on a bus as part of some larger thing and all wore tags around their necks that had that red leaf or whatever from the Canadian Flag. There were also a few people from Hungary. The tour guide was interesting. She wore a headset which connected to a box-speaker on her belt to amplify her voice. Most of the words she said were pronounced in the sort of manner in which you would say certain syllables extremely meticulously, like Chris Tucker trying to get his message across to Jackie Chan when they meet at the airport at the beginning of Rush Hour. And also, you HAVE to love the parasol. My love for parasols was created by my initial encounter with them in the game Animal Crossing. One time, senior year I went for a random walk alone on the PC campus at night, and it wasn’t raining either, but I brought an umbrella. For a goof. I encountered none other than Kennedy King, who asked, “What’s with the umbrella?” I answered, it’s actually a parasol. He then emoted a look of comprehension and approval, nodded his head, and said something along the lines of, “Bad-ass.”