Topic Reading-Vol.2146-2/25/2018

MEL School 三鷹

0422-27-5366

〒180-0006 東京都武蔵野市中町2-3-5 IIHA武蔵野1階

電話受付/月〜金 9:00-18:00

lv1

Topic Reading-Vol.2146-2/25/2018

英語で世界を知ろう!Topic Reading

2018/02/25 Topic Reading-Vol.2146-2/25/2018

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

In South Korea, age is measured in bowls of soup

February 16th was Korea’s first day of the lunar calendar. It is called Seollal, one of the most celebrated holidays in Korea, which lasts for three days. It is not only a time for paying respect to ancestors but also an important opportunity for Koreans to catch up with family members. Those who are away from home travel back to see their family. Those who welcome them prepare a variety of traditional foods. Together, they all pay respect to their ancestors, exchange gifts, and enjoy special dishes to celebrate the new year. Yes, Seollal is a great occasion especially for kids, but it is very costly for parents and grandparents.

The main dish of the day is tteokguk, a traditional soup made with sliced rice cakes with ingredients like beef, pork or seaweeds, and egg and vegetables. It seems quite simple to make this traditional soup dish, but it requires cooperative work by men and women to pound glutinous rice flour and water into the dough for the rice cake. What is special about eating tteokguk on New Year’s Day is that it adds a year to one’s age. Everyone gets a year older at the same time. Indeed, Korean society is very communal.

It seems that Koreans were very busy during Seollal this year hosting guests from all over the world to the Olympic games while celebrating the new year.

Enjoy reading and learning what this new year tradition means to Korean people.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180219-in-south-korea-age-is-measured-in-bowls-of-soup

MEL School 三鷹
電話:0422-27-5366
住所 〒181-0013 東京都三鷹市下連雀3-33-13 三鷹第二ビル101
営業時間:電話受付13時~18時 定休日:日曜日

TOP