Hana Choi/second draft/Tueday 11a.m.

Lunar New Year: The National Holiday in Korea

 

201103628 Hana Choi

 

               Although Korea has been so developed over the last few decades that the lifestyle is westernized, still a number of traditional activities are preserved. Lunar New Year's Day is one of them. it is a Korean traditional holiday which takes place on January first every year by lunar calendar. During the holiday most of Korean family members get together to wish their family good luck and enjoy their time. For this long-term holiday, people here prepare many things and spend a meaningful and special holiday every year.

               Unlike other holidays I am always excited to feel Lunar New Year's Day is around the corner because weeks before the holiday, the markets in Korea already become very crowded with the people who buy presents for their thankful neighbors and relatives. it is pretty entertaining to see merchants in vivid coloured Hanbok which is a Korean traditional costume, and sell a gift box of general merchandise including soaps, shampoos, tooth pastes and so forth. Also, things including a folding screen, special utensils and a big wooden table are bought since a memorial service is the main part of the holiday. In addition people buy some food for the ancestral rite and grandparents prepare delicious food to welcome their family. And people who want to wear Hanbok for the holiday rent or buy one.

               A day or two before Lunar New Year, family members head to their hometown to make ritual food. Grandparents warmly welcome their sons, daughter and grandchildren and prepare a generous meal. After a big lunch women make different kinds of food for the rite and they usually make a lot of food to share it with others later. After the cooking, they go to a shop to have tteok made. Tteok is sticky and chewy korean rice cake and there are many different kinds of it but we make white and long tteok for the holiday. In every town there are several small tteok shops which are called 'tteok mill' and there we see the whole process of how a pack of rice we have brought go into a machine and turn out into hot and chewy tteok. While women do their job, men put out a folding screen, clean the utensils for the ancestral rite or make kites with children. In the evening we eat and take a rest playing Korean traditional games like yut or a card game called 'go-stop'.

               On the early morning of the holiday people hold a memorial ceremony. We put the food, fruits and sweets which are prepared the day before in the steel dishes and set them on a big wooden table which is put in front of a screen. And we open the windows to let the spirits of our ancestors in and stop talking for a minute to give some time for the soul to eat the food. We vow two times in a row and the rite is over. After the rite we eat the food and tteok guk which is kind of soup with tteok, meat, vegetables in and garnished with chopped fried eggs and many pieces of cut seaweed. In Korea people believe they get one year older only after eating tteok guk on Lunar new year's Day so we eat at least one bowl of tteok guk during the day. Next we visit ancestors' cemetery bringing offerings and after that we visit others' house wearing colourful hanbok and give them presents. Children vow to the elderlies saying "Happy New Year" and in response to their vowing the old people give words of blessing and some money to the children. For the last of the day grown-ups eat and drink with their neighbors and children go out and play traditional games like top-spinning game, yut, jegi, or kite flying.

               After Lunar New Year, many people do not get used to go back to their work or school because of all the eating and fun time they had. But on the other hand some people do not like this holiday because it costs money them to buy presents or food. Also they say too many things like making food, holding an ancestral ceremony and visiting so many houses go on only for two or three days. A few people even do not visit their family and go abroad for a trip during the holiday. However, if there was not the holiday Korean people would not make their time to meet either their neighbors or family members and did not think about the importance of their family. Lunar New Year's Day should be remained as the biggest national holiday in Korea to reunite family and make people remember their ancestors.

Junseok Kang 2014/Tuesday 3,4 Holiday

Seollal (설날)

 

                                                                          200600056         Junseok Kang

 

 

           Close your eyes. Imagine the smell of home-made food, the colour of beautiful traditional clothing, Hanbok, and the sound of family conversation. 설날, Seollal is the biggest holiday in Korea. It is a new year day according to lunar calendar. Some people might think that it has just similar holiday customs like Chuseok which is Thanksgiving day of Korea. However there are clear distinct and indigenous traditions make Seollal special from to other festivals.

           Unlikely Chuseok people bow to others who are alive but older. This custom is called Sebae(세배). New year's bow has been the way to show respect to elders in New year day. Younger family members do the elders grand-parents including their relatives. During the Sebae, the person who bows wishes the good luck and longevity to the elders. When it is finished, bower receives some cash from elders. It is generous tradition which gives allowance for the younger who are not capable of making money yet. Mostly the money they got is normally used for buying school supplies or books.

           Also Seollal has its own a special dish, Ddeokguk(떡국). Ddeokguk is a white coloured soup with white rice cakes, meats and other vegetables. After finishing ancestral rites, every family member gathers around and eats Deokguk as a breakfast. Having this dish means getting an age older in New year. In fact, this soup has a couple of cultural meanings. This white cuisine is believed to symbolize longevity because rice cake used in Ddeokguk is long noodle shaped. Additionally due to its round shape associated money, people considered that eating Ddeokguk may bring a good luck to be a rich.

           The last different custom is yutnori(윷놀이). During the day or evening, family sit around and play this yutnori together. It is a traditional board game especially in New year. This game consists of 4 yut which are wooden sticks and one rectangular shaped board. Yut plays the role of a dice. The gamer tosses the yut in the air and the scores are counted by the combination of front or back sides of sticks. It is a game all of family can easily enjoy together, and they enjoy the intimate family moment this game gives.

           Many Korean traditions disappears because they are started to replaced with New year holiday from Western culture. Seollal's importance is becoming diluted compared to it used to mean. However Seollal will remain as a the most meaningful holiday for a while due to the family time which its indigenous customs give.

Daewon Shin / Assignment #2 / Tuesday 11 a.m.

Boryeong Mud Festival

           There is a time that you envy some people you even don’t know. For me, that time was about 8 years ago, on the Boryeong Mud Festival, one of the most famous festivals in Korea. As a local, I volunteered to help visitors find their ways to shops or toilets, and clean up the beach after festival of the day finished. I saw a lot of couples, families with kids, and foreigners who came to take part in the festival while volunteering, which gave me fun of watching a variety of people as well as jealousy of them. After a two week volunteer activity with this kind of observation, I found out some common ways to enjoy the festival between the visitors.

 

           The purpose of this festival, which takes place in Boryeong, Korea, is to introduce mud to the world, which is widely known as its good effect on the skin, and give people opportunities to experience lots of unique programs like swimming, sliding, and fighting in mud. To enjoy those programs which the festival offers perfectly, before going to the beach, visitors prepare old clothes they don’t wear anymore, or swimming suit. It is because nobody wants to destroy their favorite clothes for stains from mud hard to be removed or people want to cover their body up in mud as much as possible for the skin.

 

           Once getting ready to enjoy, they go out to the beach where the festival takes place and go around the beach seeing and considering which programs to take part in. Kids who came with their parents go down to the mud slide and no parents give a scold their children for covering up their whole bodies in mud; Some prankful guys throw chunks of mud to their friends. Every single person forgets cares and worries from the work, study, or something, and enjoys happiness which they hardly gain from an ordinary life.

 

           After all the programs finishes in the evening, people prepare to start their own festivals. The festival of the day finished officially, but they think it is the beginning of a real festival. They first go around the beach finding a good restaurant to satisfy their hunger that the energetic festival brought. Foreigners enjoy Korean traditional food and drinks such as Korean barbecue and Makgeolli. People are not hungry anymore, but still want to drink; Some people bring some beer and drink it sitting down on the beach watching fireworks by someone who wants to let off some firecrackers making spectacular scenes in the sky. Parents give handy fireworks to their children and let the swing them; and couples walk along the coast holding each other’s hands under the starry night sky. Each groups of people enjoys their own festivals forgetting the night grows late.

 

           Despite the volunteer experience at the festival, I never taken part in the programs the festival has. I, however, can give you some advice about how to enjoy the Boryeong Mud Festival properly, and showed you how people usually have a great time there, which helps you have more fun when you are at the beach of joy. I strongly recommend to go and take part in this fantastic festival if you want to be crazy without thinking and worrying about anything. Come to my home town where this festival takes place, spend money, and make my family rich!

Kunhoo Park / STEPS TO A HEALTHY DRINKING / TUE 11am~1pm

A process involves several intricate steps that leads to a result. One useful process when it comes to drinking has to do with preparation and remembering important tips. When drinking at social gatherings or even with friends, it is difficult to stay sober. People who enjoy alcohol tend to drink heavily. Such a case leads to blacking out, throwing up and having a hangover. In order to avoid such scenarios, following the process of preparation beforehand, remembering helpful tips and avoiding hangovers would be the way to go. First, preparation before going to drink is crucial. Eating beforehand is very important. Having an empty stomach would lead to feeling sick or throwing up. Therefore, eating a meal would be a smart move. Preferably, eating oily food like bacon allows the upper stomach to not absorb the alcohol and helps it come out as urine. Foods like egg yolk and milk are also a good option. Lying down for thirty minutes prior to drinking also increases a person's condition and helps one not to become as drunk. Thus following these steps before drinking would help a person have a good time without going overboard.  Next, there are a series of tips one should keep in mind while drinking. The first one is to avoid spicy and salty foods. Such foods call for more alcohol. Eating bland tasting food like vegetables of fruits would be a wise option. Drinking a lot of water is another option. It leads to frequent restroom visits which leads to alcohol emission. Talking a lot leads to alcohol emission as well. Ten percent of alcohol is emitted through the breath. Seat selection is important as well. Sitting next to certain people that drink heavily would not be the best choice. Finally, good key points to remember to avoid hangovers are the final step. Drinking two full cups of water before going to sleep is the most important. Alcohol leads to dehydration. This is the main reason why hangovers occur. Moreover, drinking milk or dairy products helps one sober up as well. It was scientifically proven that dairy products help absorb the alcohol in the system.  In conclusion, healthy drinking involves several steps. Preparation before going to drink by eating certain foods would be the first step. The second step would be following several tips like drinking a lot of water and talking a lot. Such tips may seem minor but play a heavy role. Finally, drinking a lot of water before sleep helps avoid hangovers the next day. These three steps make up the process of healthy drinking.

Bo-won Kim/Assignment2/Tuesday 11AM

The one and only family-friendly festival in the world

201300489 Bo-won Kim

 

One of the most outstanding festival in the world, the Notting Hill Carnival is the festival that people all around the world are looking forward to. The Carnival takes place every last week of August in Notting Hill, London for 3 long days. The interesting part about this carnival is that the second day of the festival is the kids' day and the next day is the adults' day. So there are different kinds of parties and shows for each day. Unordinary festival rooted deeply in the history with variety of performances and after-parties, it is a festival not to be missed. When dancing through narrow alleys, it sure will feel like one of the best festival in the world.

 When most carnivals stem from celebrations for ancestors, Notting Hill Carnival has a different story. In late 1950's, immigrants from Caribbean, and some particular places like Trinid and Tobago joined a community that was led by West Indian migrants. At that time, race relations with white workers and immigrants rose as a serious problem. As a result, in response to the harsh discrimination, the first event was held by immigrants with some activists and politicians. It took place in St. Pancras Town Hall in 1959. It was a huge success followed by the second event aiming for the cultural unity. After series of events, it naturally became a festival with Caribbean music and dance.

The celebrations for the festival include variety of themes such as Caribbean live music performance, outdoor concerts and different kinds of parades. Months before the festival, bands are having a battle for the street performance which is the main show for the carnival. Music is at the heart of the carnival and it differs from others for that it is a music combined with traditional and contemporary sounds. Even after the celebration is over, 7pm on the last day of the parade, there are still after-parties to go to. Most clubs or bars nearby have after-parties and people who feel like something's missing will be satisfied by this last party.

There are some tips to enjoy this exciting festival. If you regard yourself as one of a party-goer not just a watcher then prepare a costume to wear for the street party. Costumes vary from samba and carnival styles to Trinid styles and also you can get them online. As I mentioned above, the bands are winners from the competition and the performance would be much exciting if you get the information of the bands in advance. If you get hungry during the festival, you do not need to worry, for there are Caribbean dishes sold on the street.

The largest street festival in Europe now with more than 150millions of visitors, 'Notting Hill Carnival', it sure sounds interesting. Just by looking at some videos and pictures taken during the festival, I'm guessing that millions of people all around the world are looking forward to it. Even I am waiting for the show to begin. With some hopes that one day I would be one of the participants in the carnival, the Notting Hill Carnival ended up being one of my 'must go before I die' wish list.

re: Seung Hyun Kim/ Assignment 2 / Tuesday 11am

Sorry I forgot to distinguish paragraphs in the one I submitted. This is the correct one :)

 

 

The World's Largest Beer Festival

 

 

For those who savor beer, Germany's Oktoberfest is one of the most longed-for festivals in the world. Every year, more than 6 million people from around the globe gather in Munich to celebrate the world's largest beer fair. The festival takes place for about 16 days from late September to the first weekend of October. The festival held to celebrate the marriage of crown prince in 1810 is known to be the origin of Oktoberfest. During the fair, one can enjoy not only beer but various parades and events as well.

 

The very first stage of Oktoberfest is the marching parade to announce the start of the 16 days long festival.  On the first day of the fair, which is Saturday, thousands of people march down the Munich streets followed by carts full of beer barrels.

 

Once the parade is over, the mayor of Munich opens the first beer barrel. When opening it, the mayor shouts 'O'zapft is' meaning the barrel is opened and it officially declares the beginning of Oktoberfest. Only after this can people open other beer barrels and start selling them.

 

On the 2^nd day of the festival, nearly ten thousand people march across Munich downtown in German traditional costumes. The tradition costume parade became the official event of Oktoberfest in 1950, and ever since it has been the essential part of the fair. The 'child of Munich', which is the symbol of the city of Munich leads the parade followed by 40 cartful of people in costumes. Only six major beer companies of the city are allowed to set up tents and serve during Oktoberfest. Annually, 6 million liters of beer is consumed on average in 16 days.

 

Oktoberfest began as a local festival of a relatively small scale. Yet, now it is one of the world's most famous and celebrated festivals. Recently, many other cities around the globe hold their own version of Oktoberfest. The author believes Okterberfest is a festival truely worth visting for once in life.

  

Jea Ho Kim / Assignment No.2 / Tuesday 11 a.m.

Colourful Eggs on the Run

 

For many elementary school students from foreign countries, especially the United States or Canada, they enjoy a very common holiday in to its very best. That holiday is called Easter Monday. Easter is generally a day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ; however, in North America, Easter is basically a day for children to take in dangerous amounts of chocolate and become hyper for the rest of the day. The day consists of colouring, searching, and getting rewards for finding eggs. It may also include rewards as well.

           If I remember correctly, on the morning of Easter Monday, I went to school with excitement and anticipation. When I arrived at school, I could see all the colourful decorations that was hung up on the ceiling, walls, and doors. As soon I a walk into class, I see a bunch of paintbrushes, empty egg shells, and a carton for a dozen eggs. This got my head spinning because I knew we were going to colour the eggs for class that day. My friends and I would pick up my paintbrush and start painting away on the egg shell. First, I would dunk my egg shell into the bowl of paint, then I would let it dry for a while. After it dries, I would dip my paintbrush into a different colour of paint and start brushing away at the dry, coloured egg shell. Everyone would feel very satisfied with their own creation, like how I felt about mine. However, this isn’t everything about Easter Monday, we also had to search for eggs.

           Searching for eggs was mighty fun and having dessert while searching was even better.

The teacher’s would hide around 100 chocolate eggs around the school field and let the children loose to search for the eggs. Some chocolate eggs were wrapped in gold, which is a special egg which I will talk about later. When the children search for eggs, the situation gets quite messy. They try to take each other’s eggs, they complain who found it first, and they even mumble about not getting to find anything. It will look quite chaotic if you’re a bystander. Some cannot wait till the search is over, so they unwrap their eggs immediately and start feasting on them. In the end, the teacher’s would stop the search just in case the children would start fighting again. The search is not the end of the day though, there is one more fun event that awaits the children.

           As mentioned before, there were chocolate eggs in gold wrappings. These eggs are actually for prizes. The child with the most golden eggs gets to have a grand prize and I remember it was a huge chocolate bunny to take home. Of course there were second and third prizes for the more, unfortunate children. They get to have something, not as grand as the gigantic chocolate bunny but something that can satisfy any child. After the prizes, we would happily eat the chocolate we found and hop along the way to home.

 

           I really enjoyed the time for Easter Monday as a grade schooler. Getting paint, find and receive rewards for eggs really had me energized. Although Easter Monday may seem like a minor holiday, as a child, it meant a lot for other children and me because it was a day for us to enjoy infinite amounts of chocolate. 

Seung Hyun Kim/ Assignment 2 / Tuesday 11am

The World's Largest Beer Festival

 

For those who savor beer, Germany's Oktoberfest is one of the most longed-for festivals in the world. Every year, more than 6 million people from around the globe gather in Munich to celebrate the world's largest beer fair. The festival takes place for about 16 days from late September to the first weekend of October. The festival held to celebrate the marriage of crown prince in 1810 is known to be the origin of Oktoberfest. During the fair, one can enjoy not only beer but various parades and events as well.

 

The very first stage of Oktoberfest is the marching parade to announce the start of the 16 days long festival.  On the first day of the fair, which is Saturday, thousands of people march down the Munich streets followed by carts full of beer barrels. Once the parade is over, the mayor of Munich opens the first beer barrel. When opening it, the mayor shouts 'O'zapft is' meaning the barrel is opened and it officially declares the beginning of Oktoberfest. Only after this can people open other beer barrels and start selling them. On the 2^nd day of the festival, nearly ten thousand people march across Munich downtown in German traditional costumes. The tradition costume parade became the official event of Oktoberfest in 1950, and ever since it has been the essential part of the fair. The 'child of Munich', which is the symbol of the city of Munich leads the parade followed by 40 cartful of people in costumes. Only six major beer companies of the city are allowed to set up tents and serve during Oktoberfest. Annually, 6 million liters of beer is consumed on average in 16 days.

Oktoberfest began as a local festival of a relatively small scale. Yet, now it is one of the world's most famous and celebrated festivals. Recently, many other cities around the globe hold their own version of Oktoberfest. The author believes Okterberfest is a festival truely worth visting for once in life.

  

Tae-Hwan Park / Assignment no.2 / Tuesday 11 a.m.

Ramadan

 

Ramadan is a Muslim festival that is not well known outside the Islamic culture. This festival lasts a month long and focuses on purifying one's body and dedicate to Allah(God). Ramadan is on the 9^th month of the Islamic calendar(lunar calendar) when the first crescent of the full moon is sighted, therefore this festival does not have a specific date in the western calendar that is widely used nowadays. Ramadan is a long festival with numerous rituals and stages of it.

 

             The start of Ramadan is very important and is strictly monitored. The beginning of Ramadan is important because in countries mostly in the Middle East that follows the Muslim law this is a national holiday. Days before the 8^th month ends according to the Islamic calendar, astronomers carefully observe the first sighting of the full moon that marks the start of the 9^th month, the beginning of Ramadan. Since there is no specific date to when this festival begins, everyone turns on their television or radio a day or two before the anticipated date and waits for the astronomers to announce the official sighting of the full moon. When the sighting is announced, most students are cheerful by the fact that there is no school.

 

             Once the festival begins, Muslims start to enter a time of spiritual reflection, charity, increased devotion, and worship, however the most predominate ritual is the fasting that lasts for the entire festival. Fasting beings from sunrise to sunset. During the fasting not only is eating but drinking too is not allowed. Young children, disabled people, travelers, pregnant women, menstruating women, and breast feeding women are excused from fasting. Once the sunsets the streets cluster with street vendors, and homes are overloaded with an abundance of food on the table.

 

             The last day of the festival is called "Eid al-Fitr" simply called Eid. Depending on the area, Eid is celebrated anywhere from one to three days. The most common greeting on this day is Eid Mubarak ("Blessed Eid"). Muslims are encouraged to forgive and forget any wrong doings someone did to that individual during year. Fasting is forbidden during this day and the day starts off with a morning prayer before the sunrises. Before attending the Morning Prayer, it is customary to eat a small date. After the Morning Prayer families visit their relatives or friends and gather for a communal celebration. Eid gifts are given to immediate families or children.

 

             Ramadan is truly one of the biggest festivals in the world that focuses on self cleansing and dedication to Allah. It is both interesting and fascinating to witness Ramadan's rituals. Anybody planning to visit a Muslim state should highly consider visiting it at this time of the year.  

Hae Jin Jang / Assignment no.2 / Tuesday 11 a.m.

                                      Thailand’s Festival of Lights

 

             Thailand’s most beautiful festival, Loy Kratong is a holiday celebrated on the evening of the full moon in November. It is a holiday to give thanks and ask for forgiveness to the goddess of water, Phra May Kongka. People believe that by asking for forgiveness they will become clean and that their wishes will come true. With the river and sky glittering and music playing, this holiday could be seen as a national party. Loy Kratong includes certain important factors that cannot be missed out: banana floats, fire lanterns, and the Noppamas Queen contest.  

 

             Before the actual day of Loy Kratong, people are often busy preparing for it. Traditionally, Thai people make something called Kratong, which refers to a lotus shaped float. These floats are made out of banana leaves and flowers folded into elaborate designs usually resembling a lotus flower. On the day of the festival, people gather by the river and float it away making wishes to the goddess of water. People believe that by adding in coins or lighting candles on the kratong will make the goddess happy. However, when they float the kratong down the river, they have to hope that it continues to float away, because a returning kratong symbolizes bad luck.

 

             Making wishes are not yet over. After floating your wish down the river, it is time to float them up into the sky. Thai people buy huge fire lanterns which are floated into the night sky after making a wish. Many people write their wishes on the lantern before floating them off, often times making promises to each other. However, getting your lantern stuck in a tree or falling back down to you is meant as bad luck. Also, when thousands of lanterns are floated, it is logical that whatever goes up comes down. If you find your yard the next day with a lantern that had fallen from the night before, this also means bad luck.

 

             Finally, the highlight of the night is the Noppamas Queen contest, which in other words is a beauty contest. Noppamas is a legendary beautiful woman from the Sukhothai era in the fourteenth century. She is known for making the first Kratong which she offered it to the King who then floated it down the river and started this holiday. During the contest, many beautiful woman dress up in the Thai traditional costume and often sing or dance on stage. Then, the woman who wins the contest is known as Miss Noppamas of the year.

 

             Thai people consider festivals and holidays as a very significant day of their lives, especially when it involves the gods or spirits. Loy Kratong is not only to honor the water spirits but to simply enjoy the beautiful and entertaining night. Although this festival requires a lot of preparations and is very crowded, it is a wonderful day to enjoy the beautiful night with friends and families. The sight of both the sky and river glittering in lights is a scene I highly recommend you to see one day. 

Do Hee Kim/ Assignment #2/ Tues. 11 A.M.

Green Spirits

 

           If your favorite color is green and you also enjoy drinking alcohol, then you will definitely enjoy all the festivals of Saint Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick’s Day is on March 17th and it was originally celebrated for commemorating the death of Saint Patrick, a praised Christian missionary and bishop during the 5^th century in Ireland. However, despite the religious aspects of the holiday, it is now celebrated all around the world. I would like to talk about the one in New York City where the largest parade is held to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.

 

           The date goes back to March 17th, 1762 when an Irish immigrant, John Marshall celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day at his home in New York. Other Irish immigrants had started to celebrate the holiday. As Irish patriotism grew throughout the city, people began marching down the streets of Manhattan. This eventually became not only the largest parade in the United States, but one of the largest in the world.

 

           The first thing you should be aware of when celebrating this holiday in New York is that  you should wear one green-colored clothing – or at least have a green accessory like a headband. It would be awesome if everything on you is green. The color green has first been used as the green flag for the Irish Catholic Confederation in the 1640s. This led to the wearing of green ribbons and shamrocks on Saint Patrick's Day since at least the 1680s. With such history, wearing the color green grew out as a norm on Saint Patrick’s Day.

 

           After getting ready for the holiday by having something green on yourself, then you should go out and join the parade. The parade marches along the 5^th avenue in Manhattan. Around 150,000 people from different groups including bands, cultural, social and political groups participate in the parade annually. It is now the largest one in the world. If you don’t want to march down 1.5 miles down the avenue, you can just watch the parade and feel the green spirit.

 

           You will get thirsty after enjoying the parade and its vigorous spirits. Now it is time for you to enjoy the Irish pubs in the city. You can drink artificially colored green beer at the pubs. Stout beer originally brewed by the company Guinness in Ireland is also popular. Sharing cultural backgrounds with the Irish people will also be a precious moment as well. Saint Patrick’s Day is not only a religious day, but it is a big cultural festival in New York. I believe different people from various countries enjoying the Irish spirit together is a true global gathering.

 

Jung Yong Ko/ Assignment no.2/ Tue 11AM

The most significant holiday in Indonesia.  JUNG YONG KO 201300138

 

 In Indonesia, there is a significant national holiday called "Lebaran." In Lebaran, all Indonesian take a break for a week. Department stores, fast food restaurants close in this period. In this holiday, everybody take a break no matter what their nationalities are. Most Korean dads who are working in Indonesia, come to Korea to see their kids and parents. Like we go to Busan to see our parents, Indonesians go to their hometown too. However, most Indonesians are so poor that they cannot even afford for the train ticket. So, some of them go on a roof of the train, to go to their hometown for free. Now, I would really like to write about what people do in Indonesia in Lebaran.

 

 After fasting for a month, Lebaran comes, so Indonesians play fireworks to celebrate. Indonesians are not allowed to eat or drink from 6AM until 6PM. Indonesian private drivers and maids who are working for the foreigners suffer a lot during the fasting period. They can see foreigners enjoying their meals in the car or at home. Maids have to cook for the owners but maids are not allowed to eat. Indonesian believe that their sins get exonerated if they success in fasting period so they play fireworks afterwards. In addition, Indonesians try to get money in Lebaran.

 

 Since they had such a hard time, they ask foreigners for money to go to their hometown. Usually, maids and drivers get money from their owners even if they do not ask. Owners give them some money to let them buy their ticket home after the firework. If you do not want to give money to Indonesians, then better stay at home. If you go outside, every time you see Indonesians, they will ask for the money. They get so happy even though you give only 10 dollars, but if you keep giving this small money to lots of people, then you are done. Moreover, after Indonesians are gone, the foreigners get to take a break.

 

 Most foreigners such as, Korean, Japanese and Chinese visit their own country for a week after sending their workers home for a week. Some of them go to famous Indonesian islands such as Bali, Lombok, Pantara and Sepa for relaxation. Most Americans go to Bali and Lombok to enjoy jet skiing and scuba diving. Some Indonesians do not go back to their hometown, in order to get more paid. Famous Indonesian islands make profit in Lebaran, so some people stay to make more money.

 

 To sum up, Lebaran is the most celebrated national holiday in Indonesia. Indonesians play fireworks in Lebaran, after the fasting period. Indonesians try to get money from foreigners to buy train or plane tickets to go home. It is now foreigners' time to go on a leave after giving money to Indonesians. Some foreigners stay home, visit their own country and go to Indonesian islands for relaxation.

Chun Hyesoo. Assignment 2. Tuesday 3, 4

The Three Kings Day

 

 

            In the country I was born and raised, Argentina, there are many Christian religious celebrations. Besides Christmas, The Three Kings Day is another popular festivity loved by children. This celebration, originally celebrated in Spain, happens on every January 6^th and it celebrates the Epiphany, meaning the visit of the Three Wise Men (also known as Magi) to the born Baby Jesus. These three men travelled with their camels through the desert to worship the Baby Jesus and bring him some gifts, such as gold. This celebration has remained currently as a typical festivity where gift-giving is the essential part of this day. Also, it marks the end of the holiday season; therefore families, with sadness, take down the Christmas tree and other festive decorations.

            This celebration is mostly important for children, since they are the ones who receive gifts from who they think the Three Kings are. It starts a few days before when excited children write their letters to the Three Kings asking them for gifts and explaining how well-behaved they were throughout the year before. Just as children in other countries give their letters to their parents, so that they can deliver it to Santa, children give the letter to their parents so that they can deliver it to the Three Kings. 

            Then, on the night of January 5^th, children place their shoes on the window of their bedroom or by the door of the house and leave some water and bread for the Magi, who ought to be extremely tired because of the long desert crossing. Some children might also leave some grass for the tired camels. Then, after this is done, they go to their beds and, even though they are too excited, they try to sleep, because, if they happen to stay awake, the Three Kings won't stop by and leave them presents. In the morning, when children wake up anxious from the unwanted sleep, they magically find that the Three Wise Men ate all the water and bread and left all the presents that they were asking for.

            Finally, after children open their presents, it is very usual to eat breakfast with the whole family. The breakfast must consist of the Rosca de Reyes (or traditionally called Roscón), a very traditional bread, which is shaped as a ring topped with pastry cream, candied fruits and pearl sugar. This ring shape symbolizes the crown of the Three Kings and also God's endless love.

            The Three Kings Day is a very important Christian celebration that has remained as a festivity focused on the children receiving gifts. While children enjoy their brand new toys, some parents might get worried because their wallets got a little bit lighter. However, it is also about spending time with the family and sharing the children's joy. But the most important thing of the celebration must be remembering that the Baby Jesus was born.