Chuseok (추석), often called Korean Thanksgiving or the Mid-Autumn Festival, is one of the biggest and most important holidays in Korea. Falling on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (usually September or October), it’s a three-day harvest festival where families gather to thank their ancestors for the year’s harvest and spend time together.
If you find yourself in Korea or want to embrace this beautiful tradition, here’s how you can celebrate Chuseok!
1. The Homecoming: Gwi-Seong (귀성) 🚗
The most essential part of Chuseok is family reunion. Traditionally, people travel from the cities back to their ancestral hometowns. This journey, known as gwi-seong, leads to one of the most famous (or infamous!) aspects of the holiday: massive traffic jams! If you’re celebrating, prepare for travel delays, but the joy of seeing relatives makes it worthwhile.
2. Ancestral Rites: Charye (차례) and Seongmyo (성묘) 🙏
Chuseok is a time to honor one’s ancestors. This is done through two main ceremonies:
- Charye (차례): This is a memorial service held in the morning. Families prepare a table with various foods, including the new harvest’s rice and fruits, as an offering to their ancestors. The arrangement of the food on the table is quite specific and ceremonial.
- Seongmyo (성묘): Following the charye, families visit the graves of their ancestors. They show respect by tidying the grave site (called beolcho, 벌초, or cutting the weeds) and offering food, incense, and liquor. This is a profound act of filial piety.
3. Feast on Traditional Foods 🍚
No holiday is complete without a special feast! Chuseok features a table overflowing with delicious, seasonal foods.
- Songpyeon (송편): These are small, half-moon-shaped rice cakes (tteok, 떡) steamed over pine needles. Making songpyeon is a communal activity, and it’s said that if you make beautiful songpyeon, you’ll have a beautiful daughter or a handsome spouse! They are often filled with sesame seeds, red beans, or chestnut paste.
- Toran Guk (토란국): A traditional soup made with taro, often enjoyed as part of the memorial table.
- Japchae (잡채): Sweet and savory stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables.
- Jeon (전): Savory pancakes, which can be made from various ingredients like zucchini (hobakjeon), cod (dongtaejeon), or mushrooms.
4. Play Folk Games and Activities 🤸
After the solemn ceremonies and the feasting, it’s time for some traditional fun!
- Ganggangsullae (강강술래): Under the full moon, women in traditional Hanbok (한복) gather in a circle to sing and dance, a tradition that originates from the Joseon Dynasty.
- Ssireum (씨름): This is traditional Korean wrestling. Competitors grapple each other while holding onto a cloth belt wrapped around the waist and thigh (satba). The goal is to bring any part of the opponent’s body above the knee to the ground. The winner is crowned the “Chungha Jangsa” (Mighty Wrestler).
- Juldarigi (줄다리기): A large-scale tug-of-war game, often played between villages or groups of people.
5. Dress Up in Hanbok 👗
Wearing the Hanbok, Korea’s beautiful traditional clothing, is a wonderful way to fully immerse yourself in the Chuseok spirit. Many families dress up for the charye service and for taking photos together.
Chuseok is more than just a public holiday; it’s a deep expression of respect for elders and love for family. It’s a time to pause, reflect on the abundance of the harvest, and appreciate the people who are most important in your life. Happy Chuseok! Jeulgeoun Chuseok bonaeseyo! (즐거운 추석 보내세요!)