The news article is putting down foreigners for not doing any in-depth research into the meaning and history of Chuseok. It also says that we should not compare it to America's Thanksgiving.
But is it our fault for calling it Korean Thanksgiving when ever Korean we meet tells us that's what it is? Hmmm. I admit that not everyone researches every single holiday or festival. I certainly didn't do any in-depth research on Chuseok. I took my Korean friends' word that it was, indeed, the Korean version of Thanksgiving.
The differences of the two holidays are in the story, though no sources are cited:
'According to legend, Chuseok began as a result of a weaving competition held between two princesses in the Silla dynasty. The goal was to see which team could weave the most. The fierce competition lasted for about a month, ending on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar during the full moon. As punishment, the losing team had to prepare a bountiful feast for the victors.
In contrast, the U.S. and Canada's Thanksgiving is fixed on the Gregorian calendar. Origins are from the first founding days of colonization, when settlers were saved from a harsh winter by the harvest of Native Americans.'
Well that's pretty interesting. It started as a weaving competition. So why don't they do any weaving over Chuseok? It seems to me that, no matter how it started, the events that occur today are visiting and giving thanks for their families.
Check the story berating me for trusting my Korean friends is here.
A story about the millions of travelers over the Chuseok weekend can be seen here.
2 comments:
That story was in the Times, not the Herald.
I think sometimes the papers are talking more to themselves than to actual people. The tone of that article sounds like it's addressed to governments and websites. I agree the "Korean Thanksgiving" name is inaccurate, and wish people would give our intelligence more credit and help us understand the holiday, rather than just throw us another "Korea's ________" and then protest that "Thanksgiving" is a wrong name.
Thanks for the catch, Brian. I appreciate the help. I think you're right about the tone of the article. I'm in the same boat as you. If they want us to understand the holiday better, do a little better job of explaining. If they just brush it off as Korean Thanksgiving, we're not going to know any better.
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