Lets Know About Korean Thanksgiving Day!!

주석 (Chuseok) or Thanksgiving day is the biggest and most important holidays in Korea. There is three days holiday for Korean people to go back home and spend times with family.Family members from each house will gather together in order to share their food and spend their time together. Chuseok occurs in the brightest moon night which is that 15th day of the eighth months on the lunar calendar, which is around September and October on the Solar calendar.

In the past, the harvest season for Korean people ended around the eighth month on Lunar calendar. So Korean people gathered together, bringing their goods to celebrate and respected the god of harvesting, praying for a fertilized in the next year. Some families will respect their ancestors in this festival.

The food which is the symbol of Chuseok festival is the sweet rice cake. It was a moon shape, but recently it became a sphere shape. In the past there is a believed that women who can make the moon shape sweet rice cake beautifully will marry to a good man; however, the truth is they created such a believe to made those girls made a beautiful moon shape of sweet rice cake.

This is the sweet rice cake in the past.

This is the sweet rice cake nowadays.

So what do Korean people do in Chuseok day? In the morning family members will gather together, preparing their food to respect their ancestors. This activity can be called as 자례 (Charae) which Korean people will do this activity two times in a year include Chuseok day and Seollal day (Korean new year). After finishing their celebration, they will have a lunch together and play Korean traditional cards called 화투 So what do Korean people do in Chuseok day? In the morning family members will gather together, preparing their food to respect their ancestors. This activity can be called as 자례 (Charae) which Korean people will do this activity two times in a year include Chuseok day and Seollal day (Korean new year). After finishing their celebration, they will have a lunch together and play Korean traditional cards called 화투 (hwatoo). Then they will go to visit their ancestors tomb which is called 성묘 (seongmyo) to respect their ancestors and cleaning the tomb area, eradicate weeds and so on.

They will respect their ancestors in the house during the morning.

Then visit their ancestors tomb in the afternoon.

Moreover, there is a Korea traditional dance which people like to dance in Chuseok day, it is called 강강술래 (ganggangsulrae). In this traditional dance, women will wear hanbok dress, holding each other hands and form a circle, they will move around the circle and sing along the dance.

If you are interested in this kind of dance and want to see the example, here is an example for you 🙂

Happy Chen Day!!

Before continue with my experiences in Korea, I would like to say “Happy Birthday to Kim Jongdae!!”

This year he is 23 years old (24 Korea years old). Kim Jongdae is a member in a famous idol group Exo. His stage name is “Chen”; therefore, he has to promote his song in China with half of Exo members Xiumin, Luhan, Kris, Lay and Tao and called that unit as Exo-m which the letter m came from “Mandarin”.

Chen is on the bottom left-hand side of the picture

Chen is one of two members who had been trained in the shortest time compared with others. However, his voice is so amazing and that make him the main vocal in Exo-m.

Chen has a dream job as a musical actor, and right naw he can achive his goal!! He played as “Bennie” in Korea musical ” In The Height” and at the first show, some of Exo member showed up to watched his played.

http://www.soompi.com/2015/07/08/shinee-infinite-exo-and-fx-members-cast-in-musical-in-the-heights/

This is the link of the news about chen and his musical, “In The Height”

Before the end of Chen’s birthday, I would like to teach you all the Korea version of Happy birthday song!! Lets have a try 🙂

By the way, you can check out more on a hashtag “Happychenday”

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23HappyChenDay&src=tyah

KOREA First Time!!

Anyeounghasaeyo!! Halooooo. Today my post will not be about any recommend music video nor movie, but I will share my first experience in Korea!!! Whoooohooooo.

The first time I went to Korea is in 2010, when I was in grade ninth. My mom decided to brought my sister and I to Korea in order to spend some holiday together. I was very excited and scared because I have a phobia in transportation especially if I have to travel by airplane, I always think about accident and some bad stuff, However, I arrived safe!!

Time in Korea is two hours faster than Thailand. I went there during Fall, so it quite cold but not too much. The first place I went was Nami Island. All of the leaves turning red, it was very beautiful!!

From the picture I am the one on the right. The left one is my older sister, she’s three years older than me hehehe.

On the same day, we also went to a palace which the punishment material was established there.

On the next day we went to a seaweed factory and kimchi center. At the Kimchi center, we had a chance to wore a Korea national costume called “Hanbok” The guide told that a single lady will wear a hanbok which have a colorful on the arms part.

I am single!! LOL

After Kimchi village, it’s time to moved to Seoul!! We arrived at Seoul quite evening so the plan that night is just Namsan tower and a shopping street. In Namsan tower, there is a teddy bear museum, it is very cute, if you have a chance you should not miss!!!!

After a long shopping time, we went to hotel to took some rest and prepared ourselves for the next day

The funny story about this trip is we have to move to Seoul and stay there for one night. Our guide name Charlie brought us to the hotel we have to stay but unfortunately the hotel had some problem in which we could not book a room there, so Charlie bought us to stay in a motel near that hotel. It is the motel where several couples spend their hot night together .. you know what I mean right .. The room is full of mirror even on the ceiling!!! There are more than two mirror in the bath room .. The big mirror everywhere in our room. However, That time I was too young to know about this kind of motel, so I just confused why there were so many mirror in the room. It quite frightening isn’t it?

Here come our last day in Korea 😦 The first place we went is Keoung-bok Palace. It is the main palace where a big ceremony is taking place here. In this palace, there are a molded figure of 12 animals which are the animal of 12 years. I was born in a year of pig, so I took a picture with it yeyyy.

Hello Mr.Pig!! Nice to meet you 🙂

The next place was Chongaechong pond. It is a man-made pond near a palace.

The last place was also near these two places, it is Gwanghamoon road. It has statues of the important people in Korea. One of them is the person who made a Korea alphabet.

Then it’s time to went back to Thailand 😦 It was a short trip, but I was very happy!! Before the end of today’s post, I would like to post my most favorite picture of my mom during a trip!!

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LOL Hehehehehehehehehe She’s cuteeeee

Please don’t tell my mom about the picture!! I love you mommm!!!!

And this is all for today!! Byeeeee 🙂

A ‘MUST WATCH’ Movie “Miracle In Cell No.7”

A trailer I posted above is a video promoting a movie called “Miracle In Cell No.7” The movie is about an autistic father who was accidentally involved in the death case of the general’s daughter. He must separated with his seven-year-old daughter and go to jail waiting for his punishment.

This movie is a perfect mix between comedy and drama. I watched it four times and cried every time!! If you have time, watch it!!