When it comes to Chuseok, the national holiday, you can't miss out on 'Songpyeon'.
Originally, songpyeon was called 'songbyeong', but it was called songbyeong by using the pine tree 'song' and 'byeong' for rice cake.
By the way, do you know why songpyeon, eaten on Chuseok, when the round full moon rises, is shaped like a half moon?
It contains the heart of the ancient Silla people who care for their homeland.
Today, I will tell you the story of Songpyeon, which has a half-moon shape for Chuseok.
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Baekje is a round moon, Silla is a half moon
The origin of 'Bandal Songpyeon' can be found in the anecdote of King Uija, 'the last king of Baekje,' written in the Samguk Sagi.
The Three Kingdoms period, when Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla existed on the Korean Peninsula.
Even at that time, it is said that on Chuseok, people gathered to make songpyeon and ate it, and it is said that the shape was round like a full moon.
Then one night in June 656.
It is said that King Uija tried to sleep as usual, but he did not sleep very well that day.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, a strange wind noise began to be heard in King Uija's ear, and he woke up from a momentary chill, and when he got out of his bed, he saw goblin lights flying around the night sky with a loud noise.
After shouting, "Baekje will perish soon! Baekje will perish soon!", the goblin disappeared into the ground.
'He said that the Baekje he ruled was ruined...
' King Uija, who had no choice but to feel uncomfortable, called his servants the next day and ordered him to dig the land where the goblin had disappeared.
When the minister dug the ground, a turtle came out, and on the shell was written the phrase 'Baekje is a round moon, Silla is a half moon'.
King Uija summoned the fortune teller and asked what the writing on the turtle's shell meant.
To King Uija's question, the fortune teller replied, "Baekje is already a full moon. So it will get smaller and smaller in the future. Silla is a half moon. So it will become a bigger and bigger country."
Enraged at this, King Uija cut off the head of the fortune teller on the spot.
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As this anecdote spread to Silla, it is said that the people of Silla made and ate half-moon-shaped songpyeon to pray for the prosperity of the country.
After that, Baekje was destroyed as the fortune teller said, and when Silla unified the three kingdoms, later generations also made 'Bandal Songpyeon' and ate it.
Wasn't it possible that while eating half-moon songpyeon, he had the desire to make his wish come true?
That's the story I'm going to tell you today.
I hope that you and your loved ones will enjoy the half-moon-shaped songpyeon and have a happy, healthy, and happy Chuseok holiday.