Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day
201102045 EIT
오세규(Se-Kyu Oh)
Every festival and holiday is interesting and has its own meaning and purpose. Some are for our own country and others are for families and lovers. However, Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day is the most interesting and meaningful holiday in Korea. It takes place on the fifteenth day of the August in the lunar calendar and the days before and after the Chuseok are also holidays. During those three days of holiday, families gather, show respect to ancestors and celebrate the harvest of the year.
First, before the day of Chuseok, families prepare a variety of Korean dishes. Because all family members gather in one place on Chuseok, lots of food should be prepared and should be taken good care of in terms of taste and freshness. During the preparation, dishes and dishes of mouth-watering foods are to be found; noodles, rice cakes, fried fish and vegetables, steamed short ribs and so on. These foods are prepared not only for family members, but also for the dead ancestors. In addition, it has a meaning of appreciating the year's good harvest.
After preparing dishes, on the day of Chuseok, all family members gather in the oldest member's house in their hometown. They bring and share foods which they prepared and cooked before on the same table. After having joyful meals, they show respect to their dead ancestors by performing ancestral offerings. There was a time when giving a ceremonial bow to the picture of the ancestor was considered proper and manner but things have changed. Some still bow while others just pray or nod their head.
Once they finish performing offerings to ancestors, then finally, they go to cemetery. All family members visit the grave of dead ancestors. They offer food and drink to their ancestors again but briefly. Also, they trim plants and weeds and clean the area around the graves. By that way, they still can take care of their ancestors even after the death. If they're finished, then families go back to their own home and promise their next gathering on New Year's Day or other holidays.
Nowadays, things have changed and on news we hear that our own tradition and culture fades away. However, Chuseok is still the biggest and the most important holiday in Korea and has not yet lost its fame and meaning. It's the day all family members can gather and spend time altogether, appreciate the year's good harvest and remember their ancestor.
To: Se-kyu Oh From: Seungmi Park
ReplyDelete1. What I like about this piece of writing is that you wrote an exemplary process analysis essay! Even if I had no idea about Chuseok, I would be easy to grasp the whole process of the preparation.
2. Your main point seems to be Chuseok is the interesting and meaningful holiday in Korea even though things have changed nowadays.
3. These particular words or lines struck me as powerful:
Words or lines
mouth-watering foods
As soon as I read it, I could picture it! :)
good use of description!
4. Some things aren’t clear to me. These lines or parts could be improved (meaning not clear, supporting points missing, order seems mixed up, writing not lively):
Lines or parts
However, Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day is the most interesting and meaningful holiday in Korea.
Need improving because
I understand why it's meaningful but I don't get why it's interesting. You should've wrote more supporting details on why it's "interesting."
5. The one change you could make that would make the biggest improvement in this piece of writing is
Overall, this is a good essay, but if I have to point out something you can improve, I think you need a more powerful hook sentence. You have a kind of hook sentence, but it's not enough you grap my attention.
1. What I like about this piece of writing is that you wrote the events by chronological order and you desbribed the events in detail
ReplyDelete2. Your main point seems to be that Chuseok is the most interesting and meaningful holiday in Korea.
3. These particular words or lines struck me as powerful:
In the last sentence of the second body paragraph you described the traditional way as well as the changed way in the ceremony.
4. Somethings aren't clear to me :
In the last body paragraph, you worte that after visiting their ancestors' graves, they go back to their own home. However, there are many people who are still with their family to play traditional games and take a rest before they go back to their own home.
5. The one change you could make that would make the biggest improvement in this piece of writing is
You used the words,'fist' and 'after'.
So if you changed the order in the fist sentence so I read the word 'finally' first instead of 'once', it could be much more organized.
It's the 2nd draft of my festival writing.
ReplyDeleteI refered to feedbacks of other students.
Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day
201102045 EIT
오세규(Se-Kyu Oh)
There is no country where there is no festival or holiday. Each country celebrates its special day or person in their favor and every festival and holiday has its own meaning and purpose. Korea also has lots of holidays and holds a variety of festivals every year. Some are for the country and others are for families and lovers. However, Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day is the most meaningful holiday in Korea. It takes place on the fifteenth day of the August in the lunar calendar and the days before and after the Chuseok are also holidays. During those three days of holiday, families gather, show respect to ancestors and celebrate the harvest of the year.
First, before the day of Chuseok, families prepare a variety of Korean dishes. Because all family members gather in one place on Chuseok, lots of food should be prepared and should be kept tasty and fresh. During the preparation, dishes and dishes of mouth-watering foods are to be found; noodles, rice cakes, fried fish and vegetables, steamed short ribs and so on. These foods are prepared not only for family members, but also for the dead ancestors. In addition, it has a meaning of appreciating the year's good harvest.
After preparing dishes, on the day of Chuseok, all family members visit the oldest member's house in their hometown. They bring and share foods which they prepared on the same table. After having joyful meals, they show respect to their dead ancestors by performing ancestral offerings. There was a time when giving a ceremonial bow to the picture of the ancestor was considered proper and manner but things have changed. Some still bow while others just pray or nod their head.
Once they finish performing offerings to ancestors, then finally, they go to cemetery. All family members visit the grave of dead ancestors. They offer food and drink to their ancestors again but briefly. Also, they trim plants and weeds and clean the area around the graves. By that way, they still can take care of their ancestors even after the death. If they're finished, then families come back together and spend the rest days of holiday altogether playing traditional games, having lots of conversations and doing other things together. After three days of holiday, they go back to their own home and promise their next gathering on New Year's Day or other holidays.
Nowadays, things have changed and our own tradition and culture gradually fades away. However, Chuseok is still the biggest and the most important holiday in Korea and has not yet lost its fame and meaning. It's the day all family members can gather and spend time altogether, appreciating the year's good harvest and remembering their ancestors.