Culture is one of the strongest things that bind people together, and you can easily see this through the way holidays are celebrated around the world. It will surprise you how there are many similarities in the way people celebrate some traditional holiday, take for example Chuseok in Korea, which is more like a harvest festival and honoring the ancestors, and compare it with the Egungun Festival celebrated among the Yoruba in Nigeria. Even though these holidays are from two completely different parts of the world, two different cultures, two different races and people, there are interesting similarities as well as differences that reveal a lot about cultural values.
In Korea, Chuseok is a time when families come together to give thanks for the harvest, honor their ancestors, and share traditional food. It is marked with rituals, dances, games, and the preparation of rice cakes known as songpyeon. At its heart, Chuseok is about gratitude, family unity, and respect for those who came before.
In Yoruba culture, the Egungun Festival is also centered on honoring ancestors. During this festival, masquerades represent the spirits of the departed who return to bless, protect, and guide the living. There is drumming, singing, colorful costumes, and dancing in the streets. It is a lively celebration that connects the physical world with the spiritual, reminding the community of the presence of their forefathers.
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One of the main similarities between the Egungun festival and the Chuseok festival is the value of ancestral respect and family; both cultures sees honoring the past as an important way to strengthen the present. They also share the spirit of community gathering, where everyone comes together to celebrate. This way, the tradition is passed from generation to generation.
However, the difference is in the expression. While Koreans mark Chuseok with quiet rituals, food, and family bonding, the Yoruba people of my tribe celebrate Egungun in a much more vibrant and dramatic way, with masquerades, drumming, and performances all over the community, people have to come out and dance, and watch the masquerades dance also. It shows how the Yoruba people express culture and spirituality with their surrounding and the community as a whole.
In the end, both holidays remind us that even though cultures are different, we are all human and irrespective of the place, races, or tradition, the values of gratitude, ancestry, and togetherness remain universal.
Thanks for reading. My name is Fashtioluwa.
