There was a LOT of prep I had to do for this festival at Juhee's school, on Saturday, July 16th. I had to fill out a form that I was supposed to cut out and then tape onto a random envelope given to us by the school. You have NO IDEA how confusing this was for me, especially as I was trying to understand what this random envelope had to do with anything! I was told by one of the moms that it doesn't say on the "things to prepare / bring" list, but most kids wear traditional summer yukatas. So I borrowed one from one of our church members but she had to shorten the length of the dress and the sleeves a bit first and then adjust them a bit again and then I had to learn how to put it on Juhee. There were also a lot of things on the "to bring" list that I wasn't sure about. One mom mentioned to me the day before that it's good to bring a tray and tupperware to put all of the food in - they weren't even mentioned in the letter from school! And of course, one of the items was a plastic bag to take your garbage back home in. We also had to bring our own utensils, bowls/plates, cups, napkins, etc.
Juhee, even after much persuasion, did not want to wear the yukata that I'd painstakingly borrowed and preferred the pink dress that my sister had sent her from the US. She was very happy in the dress and matching hat. :) I decided to take the yukata with me just in case.
The staff at Juhee's school had done an amazing amount of prep too. A few days prior to the event, everyone received meal coupons for the items that they'd ordered as well as a fan-looking thing (which I had no idea what it was for), a little booklet detailing where everything was (food, games), and some more instructions/details on the day. School finished early the previous day, on the Friday, and the teachers worked Friday afternoon & all of Saturday to get everything ready for the festival, which started at 5pm. The lanterns that the kids had made for the previous few weeks out of toilet tissue roll insides, yogurt and other dessert containers, origami, etc was amazing! They were hanging everywhere. (Click on the pictures to see larger versions.)
I was SOOO glad I took the tupperware instead of just a bowl/plate! I had a lot of food to carry from various food stands to our table, so it was nice to have some extra support. We had "bread" which turned out to be pastry (I think it was curry flavor), curry & rice, fish shaped red bean pastry (붕어빵), shaved ice with different types of syrup toppings, sausages on wooden chopsticks, triangular seasoned rice balls, and a drink. Next time, I'll have to try to remember to take more spoons, chopsticks, bowls, cups, napkins, etc. The more the better! There was popcorn, udon, and a few other types of food too. The staff did an amazing job of preparing so much food for so many people.
We were also very fortunate to have seats in the "hall" where it was air conditioned. It was still really hot and a lot of people ate outside, sweating. Yet another mom had told me that if you go early, you can get seats in the "hall". So we made sure we went early and the first thing I did when we arrived at Juhee's school was to set up a table with chairs for us to sit down and eat. I'm SOOO glad I did! Some of the parents didn't even know that this was an option which surprised me. Seriously, it's all about relationships. You need to know the right people (moms) who will give you the important info!
After dinner, Juhee went outside to play games but then soon came back in saying that she wanted to put on her "Japanese princess dress" (that's what I'd been calling it while trying to persuade her to wear it). Yay!!! I was actually glad that she decided to wear it after dinner, 'cause she dropped a bit of curry on her pink dress. So then, tada~!
After she changed, she wanted to take a few pictures with her friends and teachers too.
She went back out and played some more games. They had so many different types of games! But of course, there was a fishing game... The Japanese seem to really like their fishing games. Not surprising I guess...
After changing Juhee into her yukata, I changed Sungjae into a jinbei too.
A few more pictures... The big one is of Juhee, her classmates, and the "big brother" that came to volunteer at the school for a couple of weeks. Top right is a sneak picture taken of the only family that came completely decked out in traditional Japanese summer clothing. Most came in casual clothing so I was on the dressed up side. Some dads came in summer formal wear as they probably came straight from work. Bottom right is a picture of Juhee, her classmates, and her teacher dancing to the "genki, genki!" song as the finale to the evening. Click here (link) to see a short video clip of the dance.
It was a great evening and we all had fun at our first ever matsuri. I wish we could go to more but I know we'll have many more opportunities in the future. :)
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