Weekend Fun!!

Festivals, Festivals, Festivals!! 

I realize not everyone lives in the SF Bay area, but if you do this is a great weekend to get out there and learn about another culture or to celebrate your own!  I'm torn between which of these 3 festivals I should go to....

Pistahan Festival -  This (according to the website) is the largest Filipino Cultural Festival and Parade.  Now, I don't know if they mean in the world, or just the U.S., or even just the Bay Area, but it looks like fun!  It's a free event taking place at Yerba Buena Gardens, in SF, on Sat. 8/10 and Sun. 8/11 (2013).  There will be performances of both traditional and current music, an Adobo cook-off, traditional games and the opportunity to learn about the folklore and other aspects of the Filipino culture.  And I bet lots of YUMMY food!!!  If you can't make it to SF though, here are some links to FUN Philippines projects we did earlier this year.
    
Korean Day Festival-  Yet another fun sounding event to go to!! This is also a free event on Sat. 8/10, 2013, but at Union Square, San Francisco, starting at 10 am.  This festival is going to have lots of traditional folkdances with costumes, Tae Kwon Do demonstrations, and, this sounds fun, a Rice Cake Kneading contest!  There will be lots of traditional foods there too, like kalbi, bibimbop (how fun is that word?) and gochujang! We never really studied Korea for an entire week, so I don't know what any of that food is but I'm sure it's delicious :)  We did learn a bit about Korea during Thanksgiving time so here was the project we did.

Origami-Palooza- This event sounds like fun too, but only if you have the patience for origami (Japanese paper folding).  My kids DO NOT so we probably won't make it to this one, but it's taking place on Post St., in San Francisco's Japantown, on Sat. 8/10 from 1-5pm.  This 1st annual event will have different booths teaching different origami creations and there will also be a Paper Airplane Contest :0)  Sounds like it could be fun!  One of the projects will be making cranes to display at city hall's World Tree of Hope.  I didn't know there was a Tree of Hope!  I foresee another field trip!!
If you'd like to have your own Japanese fun at home here are some of the Japanese projects we did.

I hope you have a great weekend no matter what you do!  But just remember, there is a whole world full of interesting things to see and do-- ENJOY!!

Giving Thanks in Korea - Chuseok

Chuseok - a Korean "Thanksgiving"

In Korea there is a 3-day festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually between September and October.  This festival celebrating the harvest and family is called Chuseok (or sometimes Hangawi).  On the first day, the eve of Chuseok, the entire family will gather together and make the traditional rice cake
called Songpyeon.  These are not like the rice cakes we have in the U.S., they are make with rice flour and filled with a sesame filling and steamed.  It is a contest amongst the family to see who will make the most beautiful Songpyeon because whoever does will meet a good spouse or have a pretty baby (so it's told).  We were going to make some of these for a project this week but I have 25 people coming to dinner tomorrow so it got put on the back burner, BUT, if you'd like to make some here is a recipe.  Hope you make a pretty one.  On the morning of Chuseok, the tradition is to prepare a table with the Songpyeon and other items from that years harvest.  Then there is a memorial service, called a Charye, to honor the ancestors whose goodwill has made the harvest plentiful.  Once the service is over the feast can begin. 
 After the Charye and meal, the graves of the ancestors are visited and cleared of any weeds or debris.  This is known as Seongmyo and is done out of a sense of duty, respect, and to keep the family honor.  It is also customary to buy new clothes during Chuseok, either the traditional robes called hanbok, or the more modern clothes worn today.  The 3rd day of the holiday is for visitng with friends and family and doing other fun activities.  Korean wrestling is a popular sport and villages will have competitions to find the strongest man in the area.  Also popular is a dance called Ganggangsullae. Woman and children dress in traditional costume and dance in a circle under the harvest moon.  If you would like to see a dance please watch this video.  It is about 10 mins. long but sooooo interesting, it tells the story behind the dance and shows the steps and symbolism.  What a beautiful tradition. 

I'm taking a couple of days off to have my own tradition.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  May you enjoy a bounty of love (and food) and have much to be thankful for.