Children’s Day

Children’s Day is a national holiday here in South Korea. Children are given the day off of school and people are given the day off work. Families spend time together and typically go and do something family orientated such as visiting a zoo or a park. Children are also given presents.The children performing a group danceAt my workplace, we celebrate Children’s Day by having a sports day (don’t worry I’m given the following day off as a holiday). We invite the parents and grandparents to come and watch their children/grandchildren play games and run in races. The parents and grandparents also get involved. There’s a tug of war for the fathers and a giant ball relay race for the mothers. There’s even a race where the children are pulled in a rickshaw/chariot style vehicle by their fathers.Rounding the cornerAt the end of the festivities, the families usually hang out with their children and each other. They bring food, drinks and picnic mats and have lunch together. My wife and I were invited to sit with a few of the fathers and ate chicken, fruit and cheese sticks. We ate and talked about Korea, Canada and their kids.This country can be so busy sometimes with many parents (especially fathers) working late hours and children who are equally busy between school and after-school academies.  It’s nice to see the children get to have a day where they have fun with their families and have a day they can truly call their own.Check out the rest of the pics here.