Mid Summer Celebrations or Activities
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It is summer solstice tomorrow in Korea. At this time every year we Koreans usually brace for upcoming rainy season. We do the laundry including bedding and prepare kimchi because vegetables are rare and expensive during rainy spell. After the rainy season, Koreans supplement our diet with ginseng chicken soup on the 3 dog days. As an elementary schooler, I used to stay at school riding swings and other rides well into the evening during midsummer days.
But recently the dry spell threatens to damage crops, as this country enters a critical planting season. So many are afraid of the failure of this year’s harvest.
Reportedly in the UK at this time every year thousands people gather at Stonehenge to celebrate summer solstice, watching through the night and observing the dawn as it breaks on the longest day.
Is there any other celebration during mid-summer in your country?
But recently the dry spell threatens to damage crops, as this country enters a critical planting season. So many are afraid of the failure of this year’s harvest.
Reportedly in the UK at this time every year thousands people gather at Stonehenge to celebrate summer solstice, watching through the night and observing the dawn as it breaks on the longest day.
Is there any other celebration during mid-summer in your country?
At this time every year we Koreans usually brace for the upcoming rainy season.
In the US there isn't really a celebration for the solstice. We have a holiday at the beginning and end of summer though. At the end of May is Memorial Day -- remembering people who died in the military. And in the beginning of September is Labor Day -- I guess it was originally to recognize the workforce. But now it's just the "summer is ending" holiday. :)
Wikipedia says: "Dog Days" are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, in close proximity to the sun was responsible for the hot weather.
Korean equivalent to 'dog day' is '복(伏)', which means that coolness power of autumn succumbs to heat power of summer.
In Korea it's hottest from July 20th to August every year. So we divide that period into 3 and we supplement our diet every 10 days to strengthen the body to resist the heat. We call these 3 days '삼복': the first dog day is called '초복', the middle is '중복', and the last dog day is '말복'.
Have you ever tried '삼계탕? :)
Ok so it's the same as our "dog days of summer". But we don't have 3 dog days, no one can really say which dates are dog days, it is just the really hot ones. :)