It's noteworthy that the idea for this contest is said to have come out of the head of a man, King Yuri. According to the Gyo'ngdo Japji, an 18th-century book about the annual cycle and seasonal customs as observed in the city of Seoul, the name Chuso'k, meaning 'Fall Evening,' was just a popular name. The holiday was officially called Chungch'u, or 'Mid-Autumn,' after the Chinese fashion. Even though the Chinese don't call the day Chuso'k, the name is nevertheless derived from Chinese. Many of the ancient Chuso'k customs are still practiced today.
Families still conduct ancestral rites and visit the graves of their forebears.
And in the south, women still do ganggangsulle', a circle dance done to the accompaniment of a litany-like song in which the leader sings the verses and the other dancers respond with the refrain. Don't worry if you missed seeing any ssiru'm or ganggangsulle' during Chuso'k this year. Nowadays ssiru'm matches are held quite frequently and ganggangsullae is often done as a part of Korean dance performances at any time of year. A modified version of this article first appeared in the Korea Herald on 27 September 1999.