Chuseok

This past weekend was the celebration of Korea's second largest holiday (after Lunar New Years) and is the Korean equivalent to our Thanksgiving. Originally known as Hangawee, Chuseok is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea (4 days off! wooo) celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calender. The meaning of the word Chuseok in Korean is "Great Day". Like many other harvest festivals, it is held in Autumn. As a celebration of the good harvest Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food. If certain areas did not recieve a good harvest, they wouldn't celebrate this day.


On the morning of Chuseok Day, Songpyeon (a type of Korean rice cake) and food is prepared with the year’s fresh harvest are arranged to give thanks to ancestors through Charye (ancestor memorial service). After Charye, families visit their ancestors’ graves and engage in Beolcho, where weeds around the burial grounds are removed. As the night nears, families and friends enjoy the beautiful view of the full harvest moon and play folk games such as Ganggangsullae (Korean circle dance).

Traditionally on Chuseok, the head of the household would buy new clothes for everyone, including the servants. This custom was known as Chuseokbim. Usually, a traditional hanbok is worn, but nowadays new clothes are not limited to hanbok. Hanbok is the traditional wear of Koreans. Ussually made of fine material it is worn only for formal occasions.

It was quite an experience this past couple weeks as you could see the excitement within Korea. At my school we made Songpyeon and took part in other traditional Chuseok activities. The students all dressed in Hanbok's one day and looked really amazing. They learned how to bow properly and were told stories about Chuseok. I think it's great how a country with so much history that has changed so much over the last couple hundred years still instills all of the values and pride of their country into the children.