Even though many things have been changed by Korea’s rapid industrialization, urbanization, and globalization, family remains the bedrock of Korean society. Chusok is a celebration of family—both past and present.
- Eun Mee Kim, “Chusok: The Korean Thanksgiving”
These last few years, I’ve wondered how to celebrate a holiday that is almost universally about “family” when the only family I know never bothered to learn that said holiday even exists. Descriptions of Chuseok in Korea invariably involve the words “family” and “hometown,” and frequently describe long sojourns back to one’s hometown in order to visit with family…. but what do you do when you have neither?
All I can say is, thank God for the Korean adoptees I know in real life… and, of course, 소주! ^ ^
*****************************
For women, Chuseok usually involves days and days of cooking. I haven’t been cooking much Korean food lately, but the photos in this e-book from Aeri’s Kitchen are almost inspiring me to start again. If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, click on over — it’s free!
2 responses so far ↓
serenityinseoul // October 7, 2009 at 1:13 am |
I’ll probably blog about this as well, but want to say I “feel” ya…this last weekend being in Korea as Chuseok weekend was happening brought tears to my eyes. I was at Gwanghamun plaza and saw all these families enjoying their day together and I had sudden, spontaneous tears. I’m not a big crier so I don’t know where that came from – except I do know I felt more disconnected than ever from being a Korean.
Sang-Shil // October 9, 2009 at 12:21 pm |
I’ve felt a surprising amount of grief and loss at seeing random, intact Korean families together too… I’ve even gone so far as to surreptitiously take photos of them, and so many of my photos from my visits to Korea have complete strangers in them, simply out enjoying their picnic or their hike, unaware that some crazy adoptee is stalking them!
But sometimes I feel like that’s the closest thing to a Korean family that I will ever have — random strangers who don’t know (or have forgetten) that I even exist.