Korean Thanksgiving at the Botanical Gardens

Chuseok, also known as Korean Thanksgiving or Korean Harvest Day, is one of the biggest and most important holidays in Korea. Each year the Chuseok Festival, known as "autumn eve," lasts for three days, on Chuseok Day and on the days before and after. Originally called Hangawi, the celebration dates back to ancient times and takes place on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is full and bright. This falls sometime in September or October on our more familiar Gregorian calendar. Family members from near and far come together to share food and stories and to give thanks to their ancestors.

Before participating in the Korean Thanksgiving event at the National Botanical Gardens in DC, KHFSS members did extensive research on the traditions during Korean Thanksgiving, known as Chuseok. All the volunteers had to wear Hanbok, Korean traditional clothes. This event was to educate visitors on the different games and activities that Koreans would do during this holiday.

The event included a traditional Korean Tea Ceremony where visitors could watch a professional brew and pour tea and later taste it. I had to record the full ceremony so as I was filming, I also got to see the process and how careful she was with every step. It was interesting to see the tea ceremony because I didn’t know that it was a big part of our culture and tradition. Through this, I learned that the Korean Tea Ceremony began in the year 661 as a means of an offering to King Suro for the founding of the Gaya Kingdom. Soon enough, tea ceremonies began to be performed in Buddhist temples to make offerings to ancestors. Although it was previously performed for ceremonial purposes, it now represents a way to bring harmony and relaxation to the busy lives of people (General Ming’s). As a Korean American, I don’t know everything about Korean culture so I enjoy learning new things about my background and my country.

Outside the room where the tea ceremony was hosted, KFHSS members set up an area where people could try various Korean games. One of the games is called paengi, otherwise known as top-spinning where you take a drop spindle and a stick with a piece of yarn attached to it which you use to hit the spindle continuously (Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture). Another game called gonggi is played by collecting a few pebble-like objects on your hand and throwing them up in the air at once and seeing how many you can grab. Lots of adults enjoyed playing the games and some even asked about the Korean traditions. Families who were visiting the Botanical Gardens brought little kids who also enjoyed trying out the different activities. Through this event we hosted, we were able to successfully accomplish our goal of showcasing Korean culture to the people around us.

Citations:

https://www.generalmings.com/traditional-korean-tea-ceremony-darye/#:~:text=Darye%20or%20Korean%20tea%20ceremony,to%20an%20otherwise%20busy%20schedule

https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/5191