The cultural artifact I focused on this week is Children’s Day (어린이날). In South Korea, people celebrate Children's Day on May 5th. On Children’s Day, parents dedicate their day to make sure that their children have fun at an amusement park, zoo, or anywhere they want to go. Parents traditionally give their child a gift for Children’s Day as well.
The backstory of how Children’s Day became a National Holiday in Korea is fascinating. At the beginning of the 1900s, the general public did not care about children’s rights and their role in society. As a result, Korean students, social leaders, and activists wanted to speak about the importance of children’s social status. A novelist and a children’s writer, Bang Jung-Hwan, noticed this and sought to create a positive difference in children’s lives. Along with the students, social leaders, and activities, he established Children’s Day in Korea in 1923, with hopes of instilling independence and national pride. However, Children’s Day was originally called Boy’s Day, and it fell on May 1st. When Bang Jung-Hwan established this holiday in 1923, Korea was under Japanese rule. The Japanese authorities did not like this because they thought people would use this holiday as an excuse for activists to gather. Although the holiday remained in place, not many people celebrated it as much as they do now. After Korea gained independence in 1945, Koreans revived the holiday. In 1975, Boy’s Day turned into Children’s Holiday, and Korea moved the holiday date to May 5th because May 1st was Labor Day.
Children’s Day not only celebrates the dignity of children, but it also honors the parents’ never-ending love for their children. Since Children’s Day is an official holiday in South Korea, workers get a day off from work, and all children do not have school on May 5th. Because many parents work overtime and on the weekends, they miss out on spending a lot of time with their children. Children’s Day gives an opportunity for the parents and children to spend the entire day together. Parents go above and beyond to make sure that their children enjoy this day and allow them to do whatever they wish to do.
On Children’s Day, cities host parades, festivals, public activities, and special events. Some typical activities include going to the amusement park, museums, zoo, picnics at the Han River, eating at the children’s favorite restaurants, and many more. Many public places also offer free admission to children. At these events, a variety of food trucks line up, and children can enjoy their favorite type of food picnic-style along the Han River. There are also many arts and crafts stations, face painting stations, cotton candy stations, and many more. One popular public activity available for children at the festivals or parks is Taekwondo demonstrations. Taekwondo originated from South Korea, and it is a self-defense discipline and art. It is one of the oldest forms of martial arts, and many Taekwondo dojang attend Children’s Day events to teach kids the basics and art of Taekwondo. To put it into simple terms, everything that a typical child wants to do is available for them on May 5th.
Bang Jung-Hwan told the children to “be a brave and genuine child and love and help each other.” Children’s Day is a time for the family to value each other, have fun, and pour their love for each other. This day allows children to get a break from the rigorous hagwon (private academy after school) and schoolwork and gives them a chance to be themselves and enjoy their day.
For More Information on Children’s Day
Comments
Wow Amy! What an interesting back story and cultural significance attached to this single day. Your post reminded me of the Children’s Day holiday in Nepal. It seems as if I had completely blocked it out of my memory after moving to the US. What is fascinating is that even though it seems like Children’s day is celebrated in a very similar fashion in both South Korea and Nepal, the premise of the days seems to be very different. Nepal signed and approved the protocol passed by UN Convention on Child Rights in 1990 AD and November 20th is celebrated as Children’s day in memory of the historical event. Although it does feel like Korea’s Children’s day focuses more on family time. I am sure it feels very special to all the kids involved. Thank you for sharing!
I did not know Children's day was created because people did not care about children rights. But I think it is very important for the Korean society to have it currently since a lot of parents are overworked and they never get to spend time with their kids at home. A lot of my friends would tell me that children's day was very special as a childhood since that was the only day in the week where their father would actually come and hang out with the family.