A major holiday is coming up for our students in South Korea and Taiwan. It’s known as “Korean Thanksgiving” and “Mid-Autumn Festival,” respectively. What makes this festival special in both countries is lots of food, large family gatherings, and … did I mention “food”? 🤤

This holiday falls on a full moon in the middle of the 8th lunar month. Normally, this means sometime in September, but this year, it’s October 1st.

Below we’ve suggested some questions your students might find interesting and vocabulary (bolded) you might teach if you have the chance to discuss this topic.

Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan

The Mid-Autumn Festival began in China thousands of years ago and has since spread across East Asia. The origin of the festival can be explained by two famous folk tales.

One talks about a woman who flew to the moon to prevent an evil man from getting an elixir of life. In order to commemorate the heroine of the story, people began to make offerings to her and worship the moon.
The other one places the story during Mongol rule when a resistance group sent messages hidden in mooncakes, encouraging the Chinese to revolt against the oppressors.

Ask your students for more details about these stories … and about mooncakes! Mooncakes are traditional pastries that come with many types of fillings. Some, like those with mung beans, are sweet while others, like those with egg yolk, are savory.

Do you like mooncakes? Have you ever made them yourself?
What is your favorite mooncake flavor? What is your least favorite?
I heard some mooncakes have egg yolks inside. What does the egg yolk represent?

It’s also common for people to eat “pomelo,” a large fruit that is in season this time of year.

Do you like pomelo? Where do you usually get it from?
I heard that people do interesting things with pomelo peels. Can you tell me what you do with them?

In recent decades, barbecues have also joined mooncakes and pomelo as a big part of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Taiwan.

Does your family, school, or company host a barbecue?
Where do people usually have barbecues? (e.g. At a park? Along a river? Along the side of the road?)
What do people usually barbecue? What activities do they do?

Finally, we can’t talk about the Mid-Autumn Festival without talking about the moon and … the rabbit on the moon?! Ask your students about this!

What shapes do you see on the moon? (Different cultures see different shapes, and East Asians traditionally see a rabbit on the moon.)
What is the rabbit doing on the moon?

Korean Thanksgiving

In Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival is often translated as “Korean Thanksgiving” in English. This holiday was traditionally a time to give thanks for the harvest.

Do you know about the origins of Korean Thanksgiving?
Are there any folk tales associated with Korean Thanksgiving?

However, Koreans don’t just give thanks to mother nature for the harvest. They also thank their ancestors by setting up a table of offerings for them.

In some families, people will wear traditional clothing and bow before their ancestors.

What does your family do on Korean Thanksgiving?
I heard that Korean people offer food to their ancestors. Do these foods symbolize anything? Do people eat the food after offering it to their ancestors?
When do people wear traditional Korean clothing? How often do you wear it?

To attend these family gatherings, most Koreans go back to their countryside hometowns and Seoul (home to half of the country’s population) empties out during this time.

It must be really hard to book bus and train tickets at this time. Do you have any tricks for booking tickets?
How do you get back to your hometown during the holiday? How much time does it take?

Finally, there’s a snack that’s eaten during Korean Thanksgiving: half-moon-shaped rice cakes made with freshly-harvested rice!

You can ask many food-related questions such as:

I heard that Koreans eat rice cakes. What flavors are there? What makes them so colorful? Is there a story behind them?
What other traditional foods do Koreans eat during this holiday?
What’s your favorite traditional food? What’s your least favorite?
Does your family prepare all the food for the festival or do you buy some?

For more information on Korean Thanksgiving, see this article.

Questions Relevant to Students in Both Countries

Our students love talking about health, and the holidays, with all their fattening foods are a perfect time to do this.

I heard that a mooncake can contain as much as 1000 calories! (Or “I heard that foods eaten during Korean Thanksgiving are quite fattening.") Why do you think this is so?
What advice do you have for someone on a diet who still wants to enjoy the holidays? Are there any traditional foods that you would recommend to someone on a diet?
Do you think traditional foods are healthy? Why? Why not?

Besides the food, which is the obvious highlight of this whole thing, many people also enjoy the good company of extended family. Some, on the other hand, are not as crazy about the gathering, and travel abroad instead.

What are the pros and cons of big family gatherings?
How big are your family gatherings? Are you close with your extended family?
In the US, people sometimes celebrate “friendsgiving” or Thanksgiving with their friends. Do people do this in your country?
Would you rather see your family or travel during major holidays?

Last but not least, here’s a Daily News article you can use with students: “Thanksgiving Traditions Around the World”.