Happy Lunar New Year!!

Picture of my Uncle Chong Ho's medal during his service in the Korean Military

Yesterday, I went with my cousin, Churri-Oppa and his mother and his son to visit my uncle's (his father) grave and pay our respects. He is not buried in our home town but in the National Cemetary in Daejan, because he served in the Korean army during the Korean War. He even received a medal for some act of courage he performed during his service. But prior to our leaving for the cemetary 2 hours away we had a time of Bible study and prayer, which was precluded with a Korean hymn. Churri-oppa lead the Bible study and hymn as well. My 2nd aunt lead the time of prayer, and I was able to pick up that she prayed for me and that I would be comforted today as I remembered my mother. When we opened our eyes, I watched both of my aunts quickly dash away tears from their eyes as we continued on with the last hymn before breakfasting. We then shared the traditional Lunar New Year meal of tteok-guk, rice cake soup.

Traffic was crazy getting into the cemetary because we were one family of thousands who were visiting their decesased loved ones. As we drew near, the tombstones were all the same and very simple and in very straight and orderly rows. We passed by hundreds of tombstones with families clositered around them. When we finally reached my uncle's tombstone we waited for the rest of the family to arrive.

As I surveyed the cemetary I noticed several families brought food and liquor bottles and were hunched around the tombstones eating and some where bowing, while others were pouring cups of the liquor around the tombstones in memory of their loved ones.

When my family arrived, we all gathered around my uncle's tombstone and set out all the food, replaced the flowers with fresh ones, and each took their turn pouring out a cup of my uncle's favorite liquor around the perimeter of his grave.

After our visit at my uncle's grave was done, we drove back to Sangju and Churris' sister Mi Hwang came with her husband and son to have dinner with me at my 2nd aunt's restaurant. We had seafood tofu soup (with octupus, clams, muscles, shrimp, and some unidentified shellfish (the shells looked like tubes with tongues sticking out of them), rice cakes, steamed rice, and banchan (korean side dishes). We also had a dish that was ground raw beef with seasoning and sesame seeds and sliced korean pears, I do not know what it was called but I imagine it was the korean version of Beef Wellington. In any case it was not bad, and I did not make me sick.

At the end of our Lunar New Year's day, my grandmother asked me to put on my hanbok, that my aunt purchased for me as a gift and I performed the traditional bow and wished her a very blessed new year. I am sure it was the clumsiest bow ever witnessed in the history of Korea but she appreciated it all the same. Thus concluded my first Korean Lunar New Year celebration.

To see the rest of the photos I have recently uploaded click on this link: facebookphotos. There are also photos of my grandfather. My trip here to korea was the first time I have ever laid eyes on him.