ARIRANG NEWS 22:00 20140908 아리랑 뉴스 22:00 20140908

ARIRANG NEWS 22:00 Good evening... it′s MONDAY the eighth of September... you′re tuned in to our TEN PM newscast coming to you from Arirang′s News Center in Seoul. It′s very good to have you with us on this Chuseok... or Korean Thanksgiving Day. I′m Mark Broome. Title: Major expressways congested as Koreans travel for Chuseok Today is the actual day of Chuseok here in Korea... and traffic is fairly heavy on the nation′s expressways as millions of Koreans begin heading back to Seoul from their hometowns where they saw their families and paid respect to their ancestors. The Korea Expressway Corporation says northbound lanes back to the capital are pretty busy even at this relatively late hour. The estimated travel time from the southern port city of Busan to Seoul, if you were to leave now, is five hours. From Gwangju,... it′ll take just under five hours, from Daegu four hours and ten minutes and from Gangneung on the east coast you′ll be back home in around two-and-a-half hours. During the Chuseok holiday, which finishes on Wednesday, nearly 40 million Koreans were forecast to travel nationwide, be it by car, train or plane, that′s up more than 13 percent from last year. Title: Chuseok delicacies and ceremonies Chuseok is one of the two times of the year in Korea where families have a few days off to spend with one another. One key tradition of Chuseok is paying respect to your ancestors... and in Korea this is done by setting out a ritual table topped with delicious fresh food. Our Kim Hyun-bin shows us how it looks. Chuseok is a day to pay respect to one′s ancestors. To do that properly, families need to set up a table as part of the ancestral rites. During the service, family members pay tribute in front of the ceremonial table. There are 21 different types of food and fruits placed on the table, but they all have a certain position. The Jujube on the far left of the table has one seed representing past kings from the Chosun Dynasty. Next are chestnuts the three nuts once encased in the same spiky shell represent the top three ministers during the dynasty. Pears have eight seeds representing eight provincial governors in charge of the provinces. Lastly, there′s an apple, and since it contains numerous seeds, it symbolizes the people. Chuseok also means families can enjoy time together and share the bounties of a good harvest. It′s also a time when many people find themselves overdoing it and piling on the pounds. Koreans chow down on songpyeon, or half-moon-shaped rice cake, and chapchae, traditional stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables. A traditional Chuseok feast consists of numerous delicacies and side dishes from kimchi to skewered meats. But don′t let the smaller portions fool you. It can quickly add up to an average of 13-hundred calories per serving. That′s nearly two-thirds the daily recommended intake for a woman.... so it′s best to take it easy or at least take a brisk walk afterwards. Kim