From September 23rd to the 30th, the South Korean Consulate hosted the 2017 Korea Week, with events taking place throughout the Bay Area in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco.
Korea Week is an annual celebration that showcases the heritage and culture of South Korea with exhibits, concerts, and festivals.
On September 27th, KPOP-TV was invited to a private concert hosted by the Consulate at the Herbst Theater to celebrate Korean National Day.
The national holiday Gaecheonjeol (개천절), which translates to National Foundation Day, is on October 3rd and commemorates the founding of Gojoseon (고조선) the first state of Korea. The concert featured traditional music and dance performances by various musicians and singers.
Following this concert was the Korean Day Cultural Festival on September 30th in Union Square. There, one could check out food vendors, see more traditional dance performances, and even a hanbok fashion show dedicated to the Korean monarchy throughout various dynasties.
This and all of Korea Week’s events precede the autumn harvest festival, Chuseok (추석), often known as the “Korean Thanksgiving”.
Chuseok usually lasts for three days and is a time for families to return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors. This involves visiting and cleaning burial sites, playing traditional games, and of course eating lots of delicious foods! In Korean homes, families set tables with foods in specific order as gifts to ancestors, and also exchange gifts with other families.
KPOP-TV thanks the Korean Consulate for allowing us to celebrate South Korean culture with them and the Bay Area community! For more footage from the Korean Day Cultural Festival, check out our coverage below.
추석 잘 보내세요! Have a wonderful Chuseok!
