| How Is Parents' Day Celebrated in Other Nations | |
| [영어뉴스] 최종수정일 / 2009년 04월 30일 | |
Mother's Day, which was commemorated on May 8 since 1956, was changed to Parents' Day in 1973. We express our appreciation to parents on this day of the year in
Korea. How is this day celebrated in other nations This reporter asked foreign students in our university about their Parents' Day and filial culture.
Japan: to live long healthily is the best expression of filial piety
Parents' Day in Japan is divided into Mother's Day and Father's Day in contrast to that of Korea. Mother's Day is the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day is the third
Sunday in June. "Generally we give a red carnation to our mothers on Mother's Day, but we can give other presents. On Father's Day, we can give any gift because there is
no traditional gift," said Kato Asumi(Department of Tourism Management 3), an exchange student from Japan. November 23 is Labor Day in Japan, so sometimes sons and
daughters express their gratitude to their parents on this day, for it is a day when the Japanese express their gratitude to workers.
Generally speaking, Koreans tend to practice filial piety toward their parents, and 'filial piety' is such a familiar concept that there are words related to filial piety--parental
tour, parental gift certificate, parental telephone, parental gift, parental banquet. How do the Japanese think about filial piety "We do not consider that we must practice filial
piety to parents. And we also don't think we have to repay our parents for the fact that they raised us," said she. Asked what is filial piety to the Japanese, she replied, "the
Japanese sons and daughters consider dying earlier than their parents as the worst thing they can do to their parents. Therefore, we think the best expression of filial piety is to outlive in good health our parents. We also don't act thinking that it is filial piety. However, we usually try to please our parents because they are precious to us. Above all they are our parents."
China: a filial culture most similar to ours.
There is no Mother's Day but only Father's Day in China. Father's Day is August 8 because Chinese pronunciation of 8 is similar to 'papa,' which means a father in
Chinese. “Most people don't know there is Father's Day, so we don't usually commemorate it. If we commemorate it, we have a meal with our father or give a present," said
Huang Ruohao (Department of Finance 4), an exchange student from China.
China also considers filial piety very important like us. “We usually spend our first salary with our parents. Most people give an allowance from their salary to their
parents, but parents save that money and give it back to them for their marriage fund," said he. It is very similar to what Korean parents do for their children. He said after
people grow old, they mostly live in their son's home in his hometown Shenzhen. "Of course, to make parents live in comfort is good, but I think the most important thing for
filial piety is one's heart. And it seems Korean filial culture and Chinese filial culture are similar," he said.
Russia: if parents are sick, their children usually take care of them
In contrast to China, Russia has no Father's Day but only Mother's Day. Mother's Day is the last Sunday of November. However, they do not celebrate it in a large way. "We just call our mother and tell her 'Hi, Mom, Congratulations. I love you.' Sometimes we give a flower, mostly black or white rose," said Afanasev Vadim(Department of
History 4), an exchange student from Russia. There is no Father's Day in Russia, but women give a present to men on 'Men's Day (February 23),' the date on which Russians celebrate victory over Germany.
What kind of filial values do Russians recognize "When Russians are young, they think they should practice filial piety to parents. But when they grow up, 20~30% of them give themselves up to drugs or alcohol because they are widespread in Russia, so they do not care about their parents at all. In regard to the 70% of the people, it depends on
the person if he or she practices filial piety. However, if the parents are sick, their children usually take care of them," he said. According to him, like their Korean counterparts, Russian parents outwardly decline the allowance their adult children give them though they are secretly pleased. "I think Korean filial culture is good. I also would like to
practice filial piety to my parents," he added.
Our country, Japan, China, Russia and many others have different Parents' Day culture and filial values. However, regardless of country, people consider their parents
precious and are grateful to their parents. Parents' Day is drawing near. Let's express gratitude to our parents with a red carnation by all means on this Parents' Day.
By reporter Kang Myoung-a
저작권자 © 동아대학교 다우미디어센터 무단전재 및 재배포 금지
