Japan, Taiwan, and Korea Holidays Coming Up This Week 🌓

Did you know that Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan – where many of our students are from – are observing autumn-related holidays this week?

• Our Japanese students get a day off from school and work on the autumn equinox this Thursday, September 23rd.
• Our students in South Korea and Taiwan are celebrating big traditional holidays that span multiple days and occur on the day of the full moon nearest the autumn equinox.

What do all these holidays mean to our students? What questions can we ask them to start a conversation? What vocabulary (bolded) might we introduce? Read on to find out all that and more!

Autumn Equinox in Japan 🌓

In Japan, the equinoxes were traditionally believed to be days when the border between the worlds of the living and the dead became thin. As a result, the spring and autumn equinoxes were good times to pay respects to deceased relatives and ancestors.

Some people, especially in the older generations, continue this tradition today. However, for many Japanese people nowadays, the autumn equinox is mainly a day of rest.

• What do you plan to do for the autumn equinox?
• Why do you think the autumn equinox is a holiday?
• Are there any special things people do or any food people eat on the autumn equinox?

Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan 🥮

The Mid-Autumn Festival began in China thousands of years ago and has since spread across much of East Asia. This year, it falls on September 21st, which is a couple days before the official start of the fall season, but keep in mind that traditional holidays in this part of the world usually follow a different calendar.

The most visible aspect of modern-day celebrations in Taiwan is the barbecues. You’ll see people barbecuing at parks, along the rivers, and even on sidewalks. It’s a great way to celebrate with friends, family, and the full moon.

• Does your family, school, or company host a barbecue?
• What do people usually barbecue? Do people play games or do any other sorts of activities together?
• Why do you think barbecues are such a popular way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival? 

We also can’t talk about the Mid-Autumn Festival without mentioning pastries called “mooncakes” and fruits known as “pomelos.”

These days, mooncakes come in all kinds of colors and fillings, but they’re usually round to represent the moon.

• What’s your favorite mooncake filling? What’s your least favorite? Why?
• I heard some mooncakes have egg yolks inside. What does the egg yolk represent?
• Why do you think mooncakes are so small? Why don’t people make bigger versions of them?
• Have you ever made mooncakes yourself? Are you into baking?

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

• Do you like pomelo? Where do you usually get it from?

• How is pomelo different from other citrus fruits, such a grapefruit and orange?
• I heard that people do interesting things with pomelo peels like wearing them as hats or leaving them out to repel mosquitoes. Can you tell me what you do with them?

Also, we can’t talk about the Mid-Autumn Festival without mentioning the moon and … the rabbit on the moon?!  Ask your students about this and other folktales related to this holiday!

• What shapes do you see on the moon? (Different cultures see different shapes, and East Asians tend to see a rabbit.)
• What is the rabbit doing on the moon?
• Do you know how the Mid-Autumn Festival became a holiday? I heard there are some famous folktales related to it! Do you know any of them? 

Korean Thanksgiving in South Korea 🌕 

The Korean version of the Mid-Autumn Festival is often translated as “Korean Thanksgiving,” as it was traditionally a time to give thanks for the harvest. 

• Why do you think Korean Thanksgiving is such an important holiday in your country?
• Are there any folktales associated with Korean Thanksgiving?

These days, Korea is no longer an agricultural society, so the holiday mainly centers on family and food. Most Koreans rush back to their hometowns in the countryside from all corners of the country.

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

In more traditional families, reunions involve elaborate ancestral rituals, where people set up tables of offerings, wear traditional clothing, and bow before their ancestors. This was traditionally done to give thanks for a year of good harvest and pray for another one. 

Under COVID-19, some families who couldn’t get together, still carried out this ritual over video call.

• I heard that Korean people offer food to their ancestors. Do these 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?
• How often do people perform ancestral rituals?

On the other hand, families that are less traditional, usually just spend their time together doing other things, like hiking, traveling, or watching movies.

• What does your family do on Korean Thanksgiving?
• What’s your favorite memory of Korean Thanksgiving?
• What are your favorite Korean Thanksgiving foods? What’s your least favorite? Why?

Finally, we can’t talk about Korean Thanksgiving without mentioning these half-moon rice cakes. Traditionally, these were made with freshly-harvested rice and steamed over pine needles. You can see a modern-day video recipe here.

• I heard that Koreans eat rice cakes. What flavors are there? What makes them so colorful? 
• Why are the rice cakes shaped like half-moons? Is there a story behind them?
• Does your family prepare all the food for the festival or do you buy some?

👋 That’s It For Now! 

We hope this piece gave you a better idea of what your students might be up to this week. Happy tutoring!