Happy 추석 (Chuseok) everyone!!! For those of you in Korea, I hope you’re all enjoying your time off! I can definitely say with confidence that I’m not envious of anyone who may be stuck in what appears to be insane traffic. For those of you not in Korea that may be confused on what I’m yammering on about, I do believe I’ve explained this holiday at least a couple of times in the past two years. Here’s a Wikipedia article that may answer any questions you have.
As a foreigner, I love this time of year. The entire country gets a few days off, which usually means an extra long weekend for my friends and me. It makes me a little sad to see that my Korean friends, especiall the female ones, don’t feel the same way. Due to tradition, many of them are expected to cook and clean, which doesn’t sound like my idea of a relaxing holiday. I guess we technically do something similar when it comes to American Thanksgiving, but many of the tasks were shared between both men and women. While I know that not all Korean homes still celebrate this way, it makes me a little sad to see my Korean female friends dread this holiday while the males look forward to enjoying their time off (though I do feel bad for anyone that may be forced to drive in this traffic).
To my Korean readers, 추석 잘 보내세요! I hope you have a wonderful time with your families (or whoever you may be spending this holiday with). Enjoy the good food and don’t overwork yourselves too much, if possible! To my non-Korean readers who may happen to also celebrate this holiday, have fun and don’t eat all of your gifted Spam in one sitting!
