People eat red bean porridge on winter solstice... patteok shared by temple drive-thru
- 3 years ago
밤의 길이 가장 긴 동지... 드라이브스루로 팥떡나눔
Today marks the winter solstice,... 'Dongji' in Korean. Usually there would be lots of small gatherings sharing food made of red beans.
This year, despite the pandemic, people have come up with ways to enjoy 'Dongji' and eat seasonal foods to fend off evil spirits and bring luck for the new year.
Our Kim Bo-kyoung tells us more. This Monday marks the winter solstice the day with the fewest hours of daylight and the longest night of the year.
The winter solstice, or "dongji" in Korean, is one of the 24 divisions of the year that keep traditional calendars synchronized with the seasons.
The summer solstice, or "Haji" is also marked on the calendar.
On the day of winter solstice, people traditionally ate foods made of dried red beans, known as "pat"... as they believed the red color would fend off evil spirits.
Dried red beans are boiled and mixed with "saealshim", glutinous rice cake balls that resemble bird's eggs, to make Korean red bean porridge, or "patjuk".
Though scaled down due to the pandemic,... Hyunsung Temple prepared a small kit containing another seasonal food enjoyed on Dongji,... red bean rice cakes called "patteok".
"At this temple in Seodaemun-gu District, cars line up to get some delicious patteok. People believe that eating this seasonal food will get rid of misfortunes from the past year and bring good fortune in the next year."
The patteok hangs on the end of a stick to follow distancing guidelines.
The head monk says he wanted to share some warmth amid these difficult times.
"Within the boundaries of following the preventive measures, I wondered what religion could do. Amid tiring times in winter, we made kits to share our warm hearts with our neighbors."
Some even hope that eating this red bean rice cake can fend off COVID-19.
"I got the tteok from the temple. I hope the virus goes away and our country's people become healthy after eating this tteok."
Though it isn't easy to have patteok with friends or family this year, some hope that by eating this unique traditional food, they could one day gather around with neighbors to celebrate such a tradition again.
Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.
Today marks the winter solstice,... 'Dongji' in Korean. Usually there would be lots of small gatherings sharing food made of red beans.
This year, despite the pandemic, people have come up with ways to enjoy 'Dongji' and eat seasonal foods to fend off evil spirits and bring luck for the new year.
Our Kim Bo-kyoung tells us more. This Monday marks the winter solstice the day with the fewest hours of daylight and the longest night of the year.
The winter solstice, or "dongji" in Korean, is one of the 24 divisions of the year that keep traditional calendars synchronized with the seasons.
The summer solstice, or "Haji" is also marked on the calendar.
On the day of winter solstice, people traditionally ate foods made of dried red beans, known as "pat"... as they believed the red color would fend off evil spirits.
Dried red beans are boiled and mixed with "saealshim", glutinous rice cake balls that resemble bird's eggs, to make Korean red bean porridge, or "patjuk".
Though scaled down due to the pandemic,... Hyunsung Temple prepared a small kit containing another seasonal food enjoyed on Dongji,... red bean rice cakes called "patteok".
"At this temple in Seodaemun-gu District, cars line up to get some delicious patteok. People believe that eating this seasonal food will get rid of misfortunes from the past year and bring good fortune in the next year."
The patteok hangs on the end of a stick to follow distancing guidelines.
The head monk says he wanted to share some warmth amid these difficult times.
"Within the boundaries of following the preventive measures, I wondered what religion could do. Amid tiring times in winter, we made kits to share our warm hearts with our neighbors."
Some even hope that eating this red bean rice cake can fend off COVID-19.
"I got the tteok from the temple. I hope the virus goes away and our country's people become healthy after eating this tteok."
Though it isn't easy to have patteok with friends or family this year, some hope that by eating this unique traditional food, they could one day gather around with neighbors to celebrate such a tradition again.
Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.