Holiday weekend starts in East Asia
The Wikipedia has a decent write up. I think of this as Chuseok, the Korean harvest moon festival, but the other Sino-centric cultures have their own versions of the Chinese festival.
The festival is so-named as it is held around the autumn equinox on the 15th of the 8th lunisolar month in the Chinese calendar.[5] Its name varies among Sinitic languages, with the most common one being Mid-Autumn Festival or simply Mid-Autumn (中秋), as well as its traditional calendar date, either Fifteenth of the Eighth Month or Half of the Eighth Month, which is more regional. Other regional names include Eighth Month Festival, used in places such as Northeast China, Southern Fujian, and Jianghuai; Festival of Unity (simplified Chinese: 团圆节; traditional Chinese: 團圓節; Wugniu: doe2-yoe2-ciq7; Nanjingese: tuang2 üän2 zie5), used in Shanghai and Nanjing; and Mooncake Festival (simplified Chinese: 月饼节; traditional Chinese: 月餅節; Jyutping: jyut6 beng2 zit3), used in Guangdong and Hong Kong.[14] Outside of Greater China area, there are several other names for the festival:
Chuseok (추석; 秋夕; lit. ''autumn eve''), Korean festival celebrated on the same day in the Chinese and other East Asian lunisolar calendars.[15]
Tsukimi (月見; lit. 'moon viewing'), Japanese variant of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated on the same day in the Chinese lunisolar calendar.
Moon Festival or Harvest Moon Festival, because of the celebration's association with the full moon on this night, as well as the traditions of Moon worship and Moon viewing.
Tết Trung Thu (節中秋 in Chữ Nôm), in Vietnam.
Also known as The Children's Festival in Vietnam. Most festival songs are sung by the children.[16]
Lantern Festival, a term sometimes used in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia,[17] which is not to be confused with the Lantern Festival in China that occurs on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar.
However, 'Mid-Autumn Festival' is more widely used by locals when referring to the festival in English and 'Zhōngqiū Jié' is used when referring to the festival in Chinese. [citation needed]
Bon Om Touk, or The Water and Moon Festival in Cambodian. The festival is held each year in November for 3 days.[18]
Meanings
The festival celebrates three fundamental concepts that are closely connected:Gathering: Such as family and friends coming together, or harvesting crops for the festival. It is said that the Moon is the brightest and roundest on this day which means family reunion. Consequently, this is the main reason why the festival is thought to be important.
Giving thanks: To give thanks for the harvest, or for harmonious unions through activities like giving mooncakes to each other.
Praying (asking for conceptual or material satisfaction): Praying for things such as babies, a spouse, beauty, longevity, or a good future.
Traditions and myths surrounding the festival are formed around these concepts,[19] although traditions have changed over time due to changes in technology, science, economy, culture, and religion.[19]Origins and development
The Chinese have celebrated the harvest during the autumn full moon since the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE).[19][20] The term mid-autumn (中秋) first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE).[1] As for the royal court, it was dedicated to the goddess Taiyin Xingjun. This is still true for Taoism and Chinese folk religion.[21][22]...
Comments
With luck,
no IDF soldiers on leave will ruin any of the celebrations.
https://thecradle.co/articles/thai-authorities-probe-chabad-lubavitch-ce...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I don't know much about...
...Thailand. I didn't know about this story either. I hear reports often of Chinese buying up all the real estate in Cheju island, interfering in South Korean elections; immigrants doing this and that in Japan. I think these stories are exaggerated and politically motivated in the latter two cases, to distract the public.
Thanks for the link, OTC. I don't think I've ever visited that site before. Looks like Pepe writes there sometimes.
己所不欲，勿施于人。
Pepe does
contribute there pretty regularly. It is an interesting site.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
happy holidays
know not what to celebrate
except maybe the full harvest moon
pagan ideation of cycles?
It is not too soon to start in any case.
Zionism is a social disease
A custom is to visit one's hometown
Visit parents, venerate ancestors, pray for good fortune, etc. With fuel prices being what they are, don't know how much traveling will be going on. Ms. So was telling me the younger generation in South Korea don't bother with it much at all. I think that might make the parents unhappy.
I saw one of the popular Chinese youtubers out in the countryside making mooncakes and delivering them to people in the village she knew.
己所不欲，勿施于人。
I wish Americans
had the shared sense of community you tell us of. The biggest gathering in the US seem to be political and about hating the other side. Except maybe Halloween, because everybody loves candy and zombies.
I've been lucky Snode
Good observation! Somewhere along the way, I had lost that sense of community. I think it was a combination of personal circumstances, and seemingly unending economic pressures. "You're on your own." Everything in the US seemed to be about dollars and cents.
When I saw village life in the countryside in South Korea in the eighties, and how it wasn't all that different or far removed at all from the old historical traditions, it was a culture shock for me. The ceremonies, the dancing, the colorful clothing, the music made sense to me in a way that I had lost somehow along the way. At about the same time I heard a lecture by a Korean professor on the radio, about the commodification of culture, mostly due to western corporate commercial culture which she called sobija moonhwa consumer culture 소비자 문화. Her point was that the corporate culture was a mass culture. Something like a tidal wave washing away what existed before. Like many, I had been conditioned by this. It's pervasive in the media.
A large part of this was the advanced state of the urbanization of culture in the US. This is the proverbial "city mouse vs country mouse" dichotomy. As an urban creature far removed from the natural world, there's this sense of anomie that community life or the great outdoors can potentially relieve. Ironically, in recent times, even in Asia, quitting life in the big city, and moving back to the old homestead, or building a new one for that matter, is an extremely popular theme, in South South Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese youtube videos. I see these often. Ms. So loves them.
I sang this song driving around the US hundreds of times alone in the big rig until the CD wouldn't work any more. Knew it by heart. One of his greatest songs (English subs)
夢 꿈 Dream
조용필 Jo Yong-pil
己所不欲，勿施于人。
Also just returned from a trip back in time
Back when building boats in Singapore, used to love going to the hawkers markets
watching the vendors and customers celebrating cuisines from various cultures.
Malaysian, Indian, Taiwanese and Chinese. Some a blend of several making it native.
Walking up to a stall, pointing a finger at a dish and asking - "What is this"? (Some tofu
creation with colorful sauce) and getting the reply - "Very nice". Okay, I try. Never
disappointed. Stimulated tasting skills lacking in US dishes.
https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/why-you-keep-seeing-the-same-stal...?
ref=most-popular
Jenney Dorsey has a good platform Ms. So may enjoy.
https://www.jennydorsey.co
"...in the end,
being Asian American is a maze
a question about a hyphen
a contradiction
all bound tightly together in a feeling
of growing up somewhere but never belonging"
Zionism is a social disease
The neighborhood markets were a connection
...only a generation or two removed from the village ways. According to Rashid, they're disappearing in Seoul.
The above is from Raphael Rashid. He also regrets the disappearance of the gay scene in the old neighborhood. I don't know anything about that, but old food carts with the tents selling popular food items is still a way of life in some places. The brightly lighted bars and restaurants definitely have their appeal, including the beautiful women whether visitors or pros. Gentrification of these places is a problem. So I get what he misses.
I like the youtubers who tour these street market areas inside China. It's another world. It's an intermediate world. How much longer will it be here? I watched a travel youtube yesterday on the Korean neighborhood in China in Yanbian, the autonomous region. l've watched enough of these that I recognized one the women street vendors there, the buildings, the plaza along the Tumen river etc. I could spend a few hours just looking at the signs on the walls and trying to read them, which annoys Ms. So. Get your own computer!
Thanks for chef Jenny's link, Q!
己所不欲，勿施于人。
This song takes me back to the 1960's
maybe my own scent of home. Maybe the last time I felt people here had things shared in common.
I didn't recognize the role of nostalgia
Until I just heard some Korean writer talking about it. It absolutely does represent what is now lacking. She said there was some kind of cultural wave in South Korea domestically for the eighties. So there were decades later Kdrama's like Reply 88. I was living there during the 88 Olympics. There was an exciting optimism, and an outpouring of the arts. The only thing I could compare it to, was the Vietnam era, the peace movement, Woodstock, etc.
So when I was there I got hooked on these vintage Kpop and trot songs. After I posted that Karaoke type video of Dream, I realized when I woke up the English translation is kind of awkward. It's either computer generated or by someone who has English as a second language. I did my own translation for a friend about five years ago.
夢 꿈 Dream
조용필 Jo Yong-pil
화려한 도시를 그리며 찾아왔네
I came to the splendid city I envisioned,
그 곳은 춥고도 험한 곳
This cold and rough place
여기저기 헤매다 초라한 문턱에서
Here and there, wandered around, to this pitiful doorway
뜨거운 눈물을 먹는다
shedding bitter tears
머나먼 길을 찾아 여기에 꿈을 찾아 여기에
I came on a long journey seeking my dream here, here
괴롭고도 험한 이 길을 왔는데
On this painful, rough street I came to be
이 세상 어디가 숲인지 어디가 늪인지
In this world wherever you go, there are forests and swamps
그 누구도 말을 않네
There, not a word from anyone.
사람들은 저마다 고향을 찾아가네
People each one, gone to their hometown
나는 지금 홀로 남아서
now I'm the only one left
빌딩 속을 헤매다 초라한 골목에서
wandering around these buildings in shabby alleys
뜨거운 눈물을 먹는다
shedding bitter tears.
저기 저 별은 나의 마음 알까
Star over there do you know my heart
나의 꿈을 알까
Do you know my dream?
괴로울땐 슬픈 노래를 부른다
When suffering comes, I sing a sad song
슬퍼질땐 차라리 나홀로 눈을 감고 싶어
When i'm becoming sad, I'd rather close my eyes alone
고향의 향기 들으면서
while imagining the scent of my hometown
(edit- Thanks Snode)
己所不欲，勿施于人。