May
Happy May! May is a month of various celebrations, especially focused on appreciating and thanking the people around us. South Korea had dedicated days celebrated nation wide for the following:
5/5 Children’s Day: South Korea’s Children’s day is an official holiday where everyone gets the day off. It’s a day to appreciate and celebrate children, so that the Korean society can encourage a healthy and loving environment for children. On this day, children are given gifts and parents take them out to amusement parks, etc.
You might wonder why South Korea decided to emphasize Children’s day so much so that they assigned it an official holiday. This day came about when a children’s’ rights activist Bang Jeonghwan fought for a shift in the view of children in Korean society. prior to his works, the proper word for “children” or “child” did not even exist in Korea. Instead, children were referred as somewhat derogatory terms equivalent to “kiddo” or “punk” and other slangs. There were also no laws protecting children, requiring their education or proper care, and children were often treated poorly, disrespected, and even exploited as laborers. Needless to say, this only exacerbated during the Japenese invasion. In the 1920s, Bang Jeonghwan began to advocate for childrens’ rights and coined the term “uhrinee” that gave the official word for “child” or “young person.” Bang Jeonghwan relentlessly worked towards his vision to establish respect, protection, and love for children. He rallied an organization for children’s rights, called for a day to celebrate children, published a magazine called “uhrinee” and distributed flyers that said “children are our future” or even “let us not curse, hit, or exploit children.” Bang Jeonghwan’s movement and the celebration of Children’s day started to gain traction and support, until it was temporarily shut down by the Japanese in 1939. The holiday continued after liberation (1945), and on May 5th of 1946, the first official Children’s day event was held. This is where the heart-wrenching poem was read out loud by four children, that “…we were made mute and homeless by the Japanese. But we swear today that we will reclaim our home and our language…we will never forget that we are the children of Korea.” And ever since May 5th has been celebrated as a national holiday.
[maddy’s note]… I went down quite the rabbit hole here, but I actually had no idea about this history behind Children’s day until I started researching it. I’m a bit shocked and in awe that an enormous change in perception and ethics of an entire nation came from just one person’s persistent work towards change. I grew up celebrating, or being celebrated on Children’s day but had no idea it signified an incredible progress from the past.
5/8 Parents’ Day This is the day we call our parents and grandparents and send them gifts. It’s like Mother’s day and Father’s day in one day. Although not an official holiday, it’s a day that all of South Korea celebrates to honor our parents. It’s custom to gift the carnation flower to our parents as a sign of thanks and respect (this custom originated in the US)
5/15 Teacher’s Day Traditionally (although not so much in the modern day, unfortunately), teachers were given the utmost respect in Korea. The date 5/15 came from King Sejong’s birthday, since he was considered the ultimate teacher of Korea who invented hangeul, the Korean written language.
5/20 Coming of Age Day every third Monday of May, is the day that South Koreans celebrate people who officially turn 19 that year. It was established as a day to remind the new adults their responsibility as a part of the society, and to congratulate their step into the real world.
Doenjang Jjigae Recipe (Korean Doenjang Soup)
Ingredients
3 cup anchovy / dashi broth
2 Tbsp mild doenjang
1 Tbsp gochujang
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 small zucchini
1/2 onion
Small potato
1/2 tofu
1-2 scallions
some napa cabbage
boil water with dried anchovy and dashi for 10 minutes, then remove them from the broth.
Chop all veggies into small, flat, bite sized pieces.
mix doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, and use a sieve to mix it into the broth, so that the larger particles are filtered out.
add the veggies and boil until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes
add tofu and scallions, boil another 5 minutes.
Enjoy with rice
