Visitors to the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Ankara, Turkiye (Turkey), on Sept. 30, 2023, play beonadolligi, a traditional game using wooden sticks to spin bowls, treadwheels or basins. (KCC in Turkiye)
By Kim Hyelin
Twenty-six Korean Cultural Centers (KCCs) in 25 countries will hold cultural and interactive events to promote the meaning of Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and Korean culture.
In Japan, the KCC in Tokyo and Korea Creative Content Agency on Sept. 18 will host the Korea-Japan Chuseok Festival in Niigata that includes screening of the latest K-dramas and a musical performance of K-pop soundtracks.
In China, the KCC in Shanghai from Sept. 19-21 will offer gugak (traditional music) classes in Suzhou.
The KCCs in India (Sept. 19), Vietnam (Sept. 15-16) and Indonesia (Sept. 17) will host interactive events for making and sharing songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes) to spread the meaning of Chuseok with the locals.
In North America, the KCC in Washington on Sept. 21 will hold the Chuseok Family Festival with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. The one in Los Angeles on Sept. 14 will host the Korean Festival in Utah to promote Korean food and culture.
The KCCs in Canada (Sept. 16) and Mexico (Sept. 13) will offer food served on Chuseok and traditional games.
In Europe, the KCC in France and National Museum of Asian Arts Guimet from Sept. 13-15 will hold the event “Korea’s Chuseok with Guimet” featuring concerts by Korean artists and traditional games.
The KCC in Germany from Sept. 18-20 will hold the event “Mother’s Chuseok Dining Table” with Korean nurses sent to Germany to work in the 1960s and 70s. They will introduce Chuseok food by making songpyeon and jeon (traditional pancakes).
Events at the KCCs in Spain (Sept. 17-18), Poland (Sept. 18), Hungary (Sept. 24), Sweden (Sept. 16) and Turkiye, aka Turkey, (Sept. 14) will feature traditional games, Hanbok (traditional clothing) wearing and samples of Chuseok food.
The KCC in Nigeria on Sept. 17 will hold a ssireum (traditional wrestling) competition, while that in the United Arab Emirates from Sept. 16-17 will run cultural events including those for sampling Chuseok food, wearing Hanbok and seeing traditional performing arts.
kimhyelin211@korea.kr
