geemong Super member
Geregistreerd op: 01 Feb 2021 Berichten: 45
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Geplaatst: 22-02-2021 06:34:45 Onderwerp: Graves, trains and traditional pancakes: How COVID-19 is cha |
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Graves, trains and traditional pancakes: How COVID-19 is
changing Chuseok, one of South Korea’s biggest holidays
For five days สมัครสมาชิกสล็อต starting from Wednesday (Sep 30), only window seats
will be available on trains run by South Korea’s national rail operator.
The move to halve capacity comes at a time when millions of South Koreans are
normally travelling back to their hometowns for Chuseok, one of the country’s
most important holidays.
COVID-19 will force many to change their plans.
Nam Seung-in lives in Seoul. He is returning to his hometown in Chungju, 113km
away, for what is sometimes referred to as the Korean Thanksgiving, and was
able to secure train passage in only one direction.
“I waited for Chuseok bookings to start early on the morning of Sep 9 and tried
to book a seat but I couldn’t get any coming back to Seoul,” he said.
“So I’m taking the train home but coming back on the bus.”
OUTSOURCING A RITUAL
Family members visiting and cleaning ancestral graves is a big part of Chuseok.
But with many expected to heed the government’s advice to not return to their
hometowns, some are turning to hired help.
As Chuseok approaches, male family members normally head to grave sites to
spruce things up. The act of cutting grass and removing weeds is known as
Beolcho and is considered an important part of the whole ritual.
Hwang Bong Yeon, who has been performing Beolcho for about five years, says
around 10 members of his family and extended families would usually gather
in Yeoncheon, about 100km from Seoul, to tidy the area around the grave site
where his ancestors, including his grandfather and father, are buried.
“But since the government is urging people not to get together for Beolcho,
we decided not to gather and instead hire professional workers,” said Mr Hwang.
“This is the first time we have hired people to do this job. We have always done
this ourselves.”
Would Mr Hwang outsource the practice again? Reactions from his family
members were mixed. “The young ones in the family would prefer to just pay
these people and get it done,” he said. “But the elderly members believe it’s
important to put your heart and mind into this grass-cutting ceremony and
do it with sincerity.” |
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