Last weekend, active members of the Korean IVF, their numerous friends and townsfolk gathered in the hospitable House of Friendship to congratulate dear elders and teachers of the holiday’s wisdom and kindness, which coincided this year. But the main event of the day was the Korean fall harvest celebration and thanksgiving - "Chuseok". This year on the lunar calendar, he fell on September 15, and as told to the organizers, it was celebrated in Korea as many as 5 days.

Literally "Chu" means in Korean autumn, "seok" - the evening. According to ancient Eastern chronology, it falls on the longest, the 15th day of the 8th month, and the moon in the midnight, the brightest and complete. By this time, we keep up with the gifts of nature, nurtured hardworking people. And if the rice crop, millet, fruit and vegetables were given obese, the harvest was poured into a joyous symphony of labor, wealth and abundance.

Today Chuseok in Korea, and the CIS states as well as many holidays more modern and urbanized. Many customs and rituals are not observed. But the organizers specifically for all the guests turned out to recreate the image of the medieval Korea, where everyone can feel at least for a moment the spirit of the era.

How to tell the leading events on the eve on the pillars and walls of houses usually hang out sheaves of grain - and that next year the grain freaks. At the end of the holiday Koreans do not remove these "decorations" - it neither is a gift to the spirits, no matter how meager nor was the crop, this bundle is intact.

When the moon is full expanse of heaven poured the bright divine light, the tradition of the ancient people in Korea made it reverent worship with offerings of delicious food: chimpeni, chaltok, sonphyon, rice wine and other delicacies. All products are made from the fruits of the new harvest.

Chuseok is also taken to visit the graves of their ancestors, that is, to make "sonmё", remove them and weed the grass and weeds that managed to grow them during the summer. It is considered to be a manifestation of piety and respect for ancestors, which in turn is binding duty of every decent person.

On the morning of Chuseok in every home in the family held a ceremony of sacrifice to the spirits of ancestors - bow "chare". A similar ceremony is usually carried out twice a year: in the New Year according to the lunar calendar, Seollal and Chuseok holiday. On this day, the morning ritual table cover with the products of the new crop of rice, necessarily, rice vodka - soju, rice cakes "sonphyon" stuffed with sweet dates, sesame seeds or ground beans. In form they resembled a crescent moon.

On this festive day girl traditionally offered to all to try traditional Korean rice cakes from - "chimpeni", who are preparing for the holidays. In the performance of dance and vocal ensembles of ethnic and cultural associations, national dances and songs were performed. In short, the organizers managed to convey the true holiday atmosphere. Somewhere "ssirym" fighters fought each other for the victory to get the bull as a reward, somewhere children fly kites in the sky, where some elderly men were the talk "for life" where a girl jumped on the "noltvigi "- one above other!

Aytpaev Maksat

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