The Korean Thanksgiving Day
Chuseok is one of the biggest holidays in South Korea. The date of this holiday is different every year, since it is decided according to the lunar calendar. But it is for three days and usually takes place on September or October. Most people go back to their hometowns to reunite and celebrate the holiday.
There are some things you have to prepare for this Thanksgiving Day. For ancestor memorial rites, people make a memorial service table by buying and serving fish, meat, rice, fruit, etc. And, it is done by some rules that meat and white fruit should be put on the west, and that fish and red fruit on the east of the table. The rite is typically performed at midnight before the actual Chuseok day, and people make a deep bow to show their respect for their ancestors and thank them for the harvest, because they believe that ancestors return home to eat and drink on that time.
In the morning of Chuseok, the whole family goes to the graves of their dead relatives with the food they made on the previous day. They cut or pluck up weeds grown during summer, and sweep and tidy up the graves. Then, they put the food before the graves and take a deep bow to them. After that, people eat the food themselves. For me, the food is much more delicious when I eat it there.
In the evening, the family members gather and have dinner together. This is where they eat all of the food, if possible. And they catch up with each other, and if there is any new family member, it is a good opportunity to get to know each other. Also, they play card games such as Poker and 'Flower cards', the Korean traditional cards. When I was a kid, the evening was my favorite time during the holiday.
Chuseok is very meaningful for most Korean people. Although the holiday may not be taken seriously among most young people, it is a wonderful occasion for Korean to reunite and celebrate their ancestors in these bustling times.
To Young-jun Yoo From Park Shin-Young
ReplyDelete1. What I like about this piece of writing is that it’s written pretty easy. So, even foreigners might understand the writing.
2. Your main point seems to be Chuseok is Korean Thanksgiving day.
3. These particular words or lines struck me as powerful:
Words or lines
in these bustling times
I like them because
Normally, most students may use just ‘busy’, not ‘bustling’. So, the vocabulary that you used looks great.
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
This is where they eat all of the food, if possible.
Need improving because
Allowing for your writing, I can’t find where family members eat for dinner. I think it should have been put WHEN, instead of WHERE.
5. The one change you could make that would make the biggest improvement in this piece of writing is
Actually, I can’t find any biggest problem in your writings. It’s all good. In my opinion, It would be much better writings if you specified the conclusion part more.
To Young-jun Yoo From Minyoung Kang
ReplyDelete1. What I like about this piece of writing is that it is well organized. You have very clear introduction and conclusion, and your body paragraphs are divided well according to their main ideas.
2. Your main point seems to be Chuseok is a time when families get together and enjoy various traditional activities.
3. These particular words or lines struck me as powerful:
(1) The parts about where you added your personal experience was fun to read. I like it when writers engage with their readers, and if you connect with the readers, you can make them become more interested in your writing.
4. Some things aren't clear to me. These lines or parts could be improved:
(1) may not be taken seriously among: I couldn’t understand this part, because I could not see how it is not taken seriously. If you could explain why young generation does not know the true importance of this celebration, it could be better.
5. The one change you could make that would make the biggest improvement in this piece of writing is to make your writing more detailed. I agree with most parts of your writing, but it feels like there are only facts that every Koreans know about Chuseok in the writing. If there were some facts or information that we did not previously know before, it would make the writing more interesting.
201004156 Young-jun Yoo
ReplyDeleteThe Korean Thanksgiving Day
Chuseok is one of the biggest holidays in South Korea. The date of this holiday is different every year, since it is decided according to the lunar calendar. But it is for three days and usually takes place on September or October. Most people go back to their hometowns to reunite and celebrate the holiday.
There are some things you have to prepare for this Thanksgiving Day. For ancestor memorial rites, people make a memorial service table by buying and serving fish, meat, rice, fruit, etc. Of course, all the food should be good quality. And, it is done by some rules that meat and white fruit should be put on the west, and that fish and red fruit on the east of the table. The rite is typically performed at midnight before the actual Chuseok day, and people make two deep bows to show their respect for their ancestors and thank them for the harvest, because they believe that ancestors return home to eat and drink on that time.
In the morning of Chuseok, the whole family goes to the graves of their dead relatives with the food they made on the previous day, traditional refined rice wine, mats and gardening tools. They cut or pluck up weeds grown in the past year, and sweep and tidy up the graves. Then, they put the food before the graves and make two deep bows to them like they do for ancestor memorial rites at midnight. After that, people eat the food themselves. For me, the food is much more delicious when I eat it there. I guess it is because it was outdoor with some fresh air and great
views.
In the evening, the family members gather and have dinner together. This is when they eat all of the food, if possible. And they catch up with each other, and if there is any new family member(new in-laws or new babies), it is a good opportunity to get to know each other and make good memories. Also, they play card games together such as Poker and 'Flower cards', the Korean traditional cards. When I was a kid, the evening was my favorite time during the holiday because the game looked interesting and I usually got some pocket money.
Chuseok is very meaningful for Korean people. Although the holiday has become nothing but an off day among many people, it is a wonderful occasion for Korean to reunite and celebrate their ancestors in these bustling times. Plus, it is one of few tradition holidays left in Korea. We should make every effort to keep up these traditions before they completely disappear and we lose our own culture.