Tuen Ng Festival Controversy - Part 2

Hello everyone, I am Bae Chung Hee from Korea. I am now studying at Beijing Language and Culture University. Staying here for three years, I really enjoy the life in Beijing, especially a wide variety of food choices.

The Tuen Ng Festival is coming. I am sure many people in Beijing like eating rice dumplings like I do.

Although few people in Seoul have Zongzi during the Tuen Ng Festival, we still keep the traditions and customs of the festival in respect of the older generations and our ancestors.

As I have been living in Beijing, I noticed that many people in Beijing do not take rice Zongzi as serious or respectful as we do, but it is an important festival tradition. They eat rice dumplings as if they are having simple homely dishes, such as rice and pickles. It seems to me that they do not respect their ancestor Quyuan at all (Maybe they think Quyuan is our ancestors, not theirs, haha)

Many people in Beijing drink beer while having Zongzi. I have never seen this mixture before in Korea (I am trying to imitate them here, haha).

Some people read newspapers and magazines on sofa while eating rice dumplings, showing little respect to the traditions.

Some people like eating rice dumplings while playing computer games or surfing on the Internet.

To my big surprise, my roommate even had Zongzi in her bathrobe and hummed songs, after she had a shower.

The Tueng Ng Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in Korea. The festival has beenrecognized as the oral and intangible heritages of cultures by UNESCO.

Since I was a little girl, my family taught me all the traditions and customs of the Tuen Ng Festival. I was told to follow the traditions of eating rice dumplings: Washing hands and checking one’s appearance before having rice dumplings are must.

For the female in Korea, we have to do make-ups and put up our hairs, because no one in my hometown would have rice dumplings with hair disheveled.

Then, we have to dress in Korean traditional clothes and wash our hands once more. I remember once I was punished by my father because I had a Zongzi before putting up traditional clothes.

After all the preparation, we can start eating rice dumplings.

There are specific procedures to follow when we eat rice dumplings: We will peel the leaf cover of rice dumplings, but not all at one time.

Then, we often nibble rice dumplings. Some are kidding that it is because our ancestors were afraid that we would get choked if we did not eat the food that way. However, the truth is that nibbling looks more elegant than swallowing.

After we finish rice dumplings, we often air-dry those leaf covers in some kind of vessels and throw them in to rivers in memory of our ancestors.

We have many traditional ceremonial activities and entertainment to celebrate the Tuen Ng Festival in my hometown, such as traditional dancing and singing. Because the traditions are really complicated, there are few people in Korea having rice dumplings during the festival; but we never forget the traditions.

Rice dumplings are really delicious, but the sticky rice is hard to digest. Thus, it is not good for health if one eat too much at one time. For girls who are particularly aware of their shapes, it is better to just have a taste.

Well, I am sure you have mastered how to appropriately eat rice dumplings! Again, I am Bae Chung Hee from Korea. Bye!