Celebrating Chuseok!
Introduction
Chuseok is a three-day harvest festival in autumn on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. It is one of Korea’s most important and celebrated holidays, harkening back to Korea's history as an agricultural society. Comparable to China’s Mid-Autumn Festival or the United States’ Thanksgiving, families gather together and give thanks for a plentiful harvest.
Traditions
Many South Koreans travel to their hometowns to be with their families. This huge migration causes major traffic jams as people drive from Seoul to surrounding provinces. During the Chuseok season, Koreans present gifts to their family and friends in a display of appreciation. Ginseng, high-quality meat, fresh fruit, and gift sets are popular presents during this holiday.
On Chuseok, Koreans often wear their hanbok, or traditional clothing, to bow to their elders, symbolizing wishes of a healthy and happy life. While wearing their hanbok, families practice charye or a memorial service for their ancestors. Charye features a specific table arrangement: rice and soup to the north, fruits and vegetables to the south, meat in the west and middle, and drinks in the east. By preparing and offering traditional food, families grow closer together while honoring the past generations.
Along with charye, Koreans often participate in seongmyo, or visiting ancestral graves. During seongmyo, many families partake in beolcho, cleaning the gravestones and removing any surrounding detritus.
Chuseok also features many traditional games, one of which is Yut Nori. Yut Nori is a chance-based game in which participants toss four small wooden sticks over a mat. Each variation of the sticks’ pattern (face up or face down) results in different movements around the mat, similar to a board game.
Food
Like American Thanksgiving, food is an integral part of Chuseok. Families prepare a plethora of Korean dishes, including rice, rice cakes, soup, fish, beef, and more.
A staple of Chuseok cuisine is jeon, a Korean pancake typically eaten during special events. Jeon can feature a range of flavors and ingredients including zucchini, meat, seafood, mushrooms, kimchi, or onions. This dish is usually paired with a side sauce of vinegar and soy sauce.
Another common food seen during Chuseok is bae or the Korean pear. Bae is very different from pears grown elsewhere in shape, appearance, and taste. The Korean pear has a round, apple-like shape with soft golden skin. The fruit has a sweet, juicy, and refreshing flavor and is the ripest during Chuseok season.
On the day before Chuseok, families gather to make the most iconic Chuseok dish: songpyeon. Songpyeon is a small round rice cake filled with a variety of stuffings, which can include sesame, red or black beans, pine nuts, honey, chestnuts, jujubes, and other ingredients. The songpyeon’s rice skin represents the full moon, and, once folded with the filling, it takes a half-moon shape, symbolizing the sweetness of the future. After being wrapped, the songpyeon is steamed over layers of pine needles, emanating the vibrant scent of autumn.
Celebrate!
Below are a few ways you can celebrate Chuseok with your family and friends!
Activities:
Play yut nori: https://www.littleseoulster.com/how-to-make-and-play-yut-nori/
Discuss your family history and stories.
Recipes:
Happy Chuseok! 추석 잘 보내세요!
Informational Sources:
“Chuseok: Korean Thanksgiving Day.” Asia Society, asiasociety.org/korea/chuseok-korean-thanksgiving-day.
“Chuseok.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Sept. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuseok.
Hwang, Sook. “What Do Koreans Do and Eat during Chuseok (Autumn/ Harvest Festival).” Medium, Medium, 10 Sept. 2015, medium.com/@allinntimes/what-do-koreans-do-and-eat-during-chuseok-autumn-harvest-festival-8d96e7162e3d.
Kang, Jimin. “What Is Chuseok?” Young Post, www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/article/3128126/what-chuseok-koreas-thanksgiving-festival-explained.
