Toefl Essay #1

Twice a year, a large number of cars fill most of expressways in Korea, causing traffic jam for three days. All train tickets are sold out a month ago, and express bus companies provide additional service. These two mass migrations mean it is one of two big holidays, Chuseok and Korean New Year’s Day. These two are the biggest holidays in Korea. All people visit their hometown to meet their kinships and grandparents. Gathering all relatives has special meaning and role that people from other cultures can hardly benefit. People can appreciate their relatives, keep good relationship with them, and preserve national cultures.

 Koreans can express gratitude toward their relatives and ancestors in two big holidays. The first society that one person met from infancy is family and relatives. All family members including grandparents celebrate his or her birth, and pray for happy and lucky life. They have taken care of a person sincerely since they were very young, and they are willing to become the greatest supporter all the time. Thus Koreans believe it is a right thing to thanks to their kinships and ancestors when in big holidays. Koreans always bow to their grandparents and graves of their ancestors for New years, and they take special memorial service called 차례 in Chuseok. This is one pride of Korean culture because it is a basic and significant morality to appreciate people who have helped us a lot.

  Koreans keep good relationship with their relatives and hometown people. In developed countries, people don’t often live with grandparents. They sometimes keep in touch with grandparents and relatives by calling or short meeting. Many of them even slowly forget the existence of relatives. Koreans prevents this from happening by gathering all kins on Chusok and New Year’s Day. They enjoy many ceremonies and games together in holidays and talk a lot about how they have lived. Relatives and family members are related by blood, respecting the same ancestors. They share the same memory of childhood becoming a best friend for long. Thus Koreans regard Kinships as closest people, and rely on each other when in a big hardship. They believe each other more than their best friend. This can make people’s life more stable and warm.

 Finally, getting all the relatives together contributes to conserve Korean tradition. Many intangible cultures are maintained by people’s life. The existence of certain tradition is usually determined by how well-known it is. By enjoying many ceremonies during Chuseok and New Year’s Day, a number of traditional cultures are able to be inherited through generations. Moreover, many traditional performances such as Tightrope Walking and Pansori are held, which are appropriate for family to watch together. Most Koreans play Yoot, neolttwigi, and dance Gang-gang-sul-rae in Chuseok along with their kinships. Perhaps nobody in Korea will forget these traditions because they do it or watch it every year.

 Gathering all relatives together in holidays has great benefits. People can appreciate their kin once again, and maintain good relationship with kin. Also, it can help to conserve intangible traditions. These three big positive points can be applied to other countries as well. People in other cultures can also share warmth with their kinships. Furthermore, foreigners are able to preserve their own cultures by doing their traditional game in holidays with family and relatives.