Highways are getting crowded.
Where are they heading?
Probably where they were born and raised.
Because it's Chuseok holiday season.
Even though your car moves like a snail, you won't be unhappy. You are going to meet your family members soon.
Chuseok falls on 15th August by lunar year.
This year we decided to visit in-laws first because we have more holidays before Chuseok.
While staying in-laws home, we just enjoy our free time. No need to prepare something for the ritual. My wife is also happy to meet her parents and brother.
After one night, we moved to Gimcheon where I was born and my mom is living.
Mostly, Chuseok is in the middle of fall, beautiful scenery of countryside always welcomes me.
Chuseok ceremony is held here in Park's family. In our family mountain, many ancestors lie in the tombs. Taking good care the tombs is an important responsibility of descendants. Cutting grass and making it clean, called Beolcho, are the ways of doing it. Mom, my brother and I visisted the mountain a few days before Chuseok. Some familys visit their ancestors' tomb on Chuseok day. They serve some foods and kowtow to the past families. But we just do the beolcho and do not come here on Chuseok day.
Instead, we will do the Chuseok ceremony, called Charye, at home. Chuseok like other cultures' Thanksgiving has the meaning of being thankful to what we harvested and sharing the foods together. We believe that our ancestors' soul help us having great harvest. No wonder we should prepare the best of best foods for them.
One day before Chuseok, we cook many kinds of foods. These are vegetables, pancakes, fruits, meats, fish and etc. But the foods to be set on the table differ in each family. There's no common rule for this. Like all others, my family has our own tradition to make ceremonial foods. This is the moment when daughters-in-law are the busiest and most stressful. Sometimes this can lead to conflicts between husband and wife if the husband fiddle aroung and doing nothing. But I'm not such a husband.
On Chuseok day morining, we set the table for our ancestors. Spirit tablets are written to show whom to admire. Foods made with all our hearts are set on the table. Steamed rice, soup, sidedishes, rice liquor, desserts are served. Each family members serve a glass of liquor and kowtow to ancestors. Kids are feeling boring but they will come to learn that this is a way of binding family member tight.
After the ceremory is over we send them back by buring their spirit tablet. Eating foods together is another big joy of the ceremony. We eat, chat and feel happiness.
A few days of holiday comes to an end and we need to say goodbye and come back to our daily lives. Way back to Seoul is another big challenge but we will miss next year's Chuseok again.
24 сен 2021
