May: "The Family Month" in South Korea

          May is called the month of the family in South Korea, and, reasonably so, since May 5th is Children's Day and May 8th is Parents' Day. In addition, May 15th is Teacher's Day. Teacher Appreciation Week in America falls in the same week as Teacher's Day in Korea, which I find cool. Parents' Day is similar to Mother's Day and Father's Day that we have in America. What's different is Children's Day.

          Oh, Children's Day. The one holiday that my siblings and I have all whined about because we didn't celebrate it, my parents' reasoning being that we live in America, so we don't celebrate it. What is Children's Day, you ask? It's a day where there is no school and museums and amusement parks are free. Yes, you read that last line right, amusement parks are free that day. Plus a day of no school?! Wow. Not only that, children also receive presents, so it's a whole another Christmas for them.

         I'm not some Korean cultural expert, I just go by my own experiences, knowledge, and research, so I'm not sure how Children's Day started. But this holiday seems fit for Korea as children can be under a lot of unforeseen stress. Yes, even children in elementary school. Studying is always emphasized, ever since the child graduates kindergarten and goes into primary school. And I mean emphasized hardcore. Breaks and vacations are not really what they are in Korea, because you still have homework and you go to a separate academy or just study on your own or with a tutor or with the study materials your parents force upon you. Yes, even children as young as third graders go through this.

         Because the Korean word used for Children's Day seem to imply younger children, like those in elementary school, it's kind of awkward for older students, in terms of whether they should receive presents too or not. But they still don't have school that day, and this is the right move, because if children - including students in middle and high schools - have ever been pressured about education, it's in secondary schooling. So these older students sure do deserve treats.

        But what about us American students? I don't want to necessarily ask for the no-school feature if Children's Day were ever to be introduced to the United States, because I feel like we have plenty of breaks, especially in comparison with Korean students. However, it wasn't ever fun being left out of the Children's Day excitement as a kid in America, so whoever makes holidays should consider this for the land of the free. :D


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