by Gina Kimmel
Grady is wearing his traditional Korean hanbok here…it is worn for their 1st birthday
“Children are the future of our nation. Let’s show respect for children. Children who grow up with ridicule and contempt from others will become people who disrespect others, while children who grow up with respect from others will become people who respect others in turn.” ~Bang Jeong-hwan, founder of Children’s Day.
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It is a tradition that was put into place to celebrate the joys of being a child as well as the responsibilities that parents have to keep their children safe and feeling loved. On this day, parents take off from work and let the kids select an outing for the whole family. Most of the time they end up taking in a movie, spending the day at the park, or heading out to observe animals at the zoo. Since our little guy is too young to tell us exactly what he would like, we decided to visit the zoo due to his love for animals.
Luck would also have it that there was a Korean Food Festival only minutes from the zoo. After enjoying the afternoon viewing animals, we headed to the festival to feast on dak-ggochi and hotteok for dinner. Dak-ggochi is a type of BBQ chicken that is served on a skewer, while hotteok is a sweet honey pancake that similar to our fried dough and pure bliss for the taste buds!
Children’s Day is such a wonderful tradition to begin as a family. It was intended to remind parents that children should not be neglected or mistreated, but instead loved and respected. When I look into the innocent eyes of my son, I am in awe of the genuine warmth and joy that radiates from within him. Celebrating this little guy is something that I try to do each and every day.
Today’s post about Korean Children’s Day is written by Gina of famiglia&seoul. She wonderfully explains the traditions and beautiful origin of this holiday that celebrates our children. Thank you so much for sharing a bit of Korean culture!
Hi I’m high school student who currently go to Incheon International High and I just found your story so fascinating 🙂 These posts you upload will definitely help him develop his own unique talents and let him feel proud of country where he got his first start.
Thank you so much!!! 🙂 It is so important for kids to be proud of their heritage!:)
I’m an English teacher from Australia in South Korea 🙂 What a wonderful thing you are doing for your little boy~I’m so glad he will grow up learning about his Korean heritage, such an important marker of identity:)
I’m a graduate student in South Korea. Your’re so lovely! Your son looks so happy. Children’s day is one of the most important holidays to Korean kids, and you understand the meaning very well. I’m so impressed!