Chuseok

Chuseok(Korean:추석;[tɕʰu.sʌk̚],lit.'autumn evening'), also known asHangawi(한가위;[han.ɡa.ɥi]; fromOld Korean, "the great middle [of autumn]"), is a major mid-autumnharvest festivaland a three-day holiday inSouth Koreacelebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of thelunisolar calendaron the full moon. InNorth Korea, they only celebrate for the day of chuseok.Like many other harvestfestivalsaround the world, it is held around the autumnequinox, i.e. at the very end of summer or in early autumn. It is the biggest traditional holiday in South Korea.
As a celebration of the goodharvest, Koreans visit theirancestral hometownsand share a feast of Korean traditional food such assongpyeon,yakgwa, fruits like Asian pear andhallabong, and rice wines such assindoju(신도주;新稻酒). anddongdongju. There are two major traditions related to Chuseok:Charye(차례;茶禮, ancestor memorial services at home, also known asJesa), andSeongmyo(성묘;省墓, family visit to the ancestral graves), which is usually accompanied byBeolcho(벌초;伐草, tidying graves, removing weeds around them).Another major custom is to prepare the family's ancestors their favorite meals as an offering.
According to popular belief, Chuseok originates fromgabae(가배;嘉俳; 嘉排).Gabaestarted during the reign of the third king of the kingdom ofSilla(57 BC – AD 935), when it was a month-longweavingcontest between two teams.On the day ofGabae, the team that had woven more cloth won and would be treated to a feast by the losing team. It is believed that weaving competitions, archery competitions, and martial arts demonstrations were held as part of the festivities.
Many scholars also believe Chuseok may originate fromancient shamanisticcelebrations of theharvest moon.New harvests are offered to local deities and ancestors, which means Chuseok may have originated as a worship ritual.In some areas, if there is no harvest, worship rituals are postponed, or in areas with no annual harvest, Chuseok is not celebrated.
In contemporarySouth Korea, on Chuseok, masses of people travel from large cities to their hometowns to pay respect to the spirits of their ancestors.Chuseok celebrates the bountiful harvest and strives for the next year to be better than the last. People perform ancestral worship rituals early in the morning. Then, they visit the tombs of their immediate ancestors to trim plants, clean the area around the tomb, and offer food, drink, and crops to their ancestors.The rest of the day is spent playing folk games and bonding with the family members. Harvest crops are attributed to the blessing of ancestors. Chuseok is commonly incorrectly translated as "Korean Thanksgiving" in American English despite the holidays being vastly different in origin and celebration.Although most South Koreans visit their families and ancestral homes, there are festivities held at theNational Folk Museum of Korea. Many places are closed during this national holiday, including banks, schools, post offices, governmental departments, and stores. Airline tickets to South Korea around the festival are usually sold out three months in advance and roads and hotels are overcrowded.
Charyeis one of theancestral memorial ritescelebrated during Chuseok, symbolizing the abundance of the harvest season and honoring ancestors and past generations.The rite involves the gathering of families in holding a memorial service for their ancestors through the harvesting, preparation and presentation of special foods as offerings.Preparation for the food usually takes hours and many families start the cooking process early in the morning. The rite embodies the traditional view of spiritual life beyond physical death, respecting the spirits of theafterlifethat now also serve to protect their descendants. The foods offered vary across provinces depending on what is available, but commonly feature freshly harvested rice, rice cakes(songpyeon)and fresh meat, fruit and vegetables.The arrangement of the foods ofCharyeon the table is also notable: traditionally rice and soup are placed on the north and fruits and vegetables are placed on the south; meat dishes are served on the west and in the middle, andrice cakeand some drinks such asmakgeolliorsojuare placed on the east. These details can vary across regions.
Thehanbok(in South Korea) orChoson-ot(in North Korea) is the traditional dress that the Korean people wear on special holidays and formal and semi-formal occasions, such as Chuseok, Lunar New Year, and weddings. The term "hanbok" literally means "Korean clothing." The basic structure of the hanbok consists of the jeogori jacket, baji pants, chima skirt, and the po coat. The design of the hanbok remains unchanged to this day and is designed in a variety of colors.
One of the major foods prepared and eaten during theChuseok holidayissongpyeon(송편;松餠), a Korean traditional rice cakemade with ingredients such as sesame seeds, black beans, mung beans,cinnamon, pine nut, walnut, chestnut, jujube, and honey.
When makingsongpyeon, steaming them over a layer of pine-needles is critical. The wordsonginsongpyeonmeans a pine tree in Korean. The pine needles not only contribute tosongpyeon'saromatic fragrance, but also its beauty and taste.
Songpyeonis also significant because of the meaning contained in its shape. However, somesongpyeonare shaped like a ball.Songpyeon'srice skin itself resembles the shape of a full moon, but once it wraps the stuffing, its shape resembles the half-moon. Since theThree Kingdomsera in Korean history, a Korean legend stated that these two shapes ruled the destinies of the two greatest rival kingdoms,BaekjeandSilla. During the era of KingUija of Baekje, an encrypted phrase, "Baekje is full-moon and Silla is half-moon" was found on a turtle's back and it predicted the fall of the Baekje and the rise of the Silla. The prophecy came true when Silla defeated Baekje. Ever since Koreans have believed a half-moon shape is an indicator of a bright future or victory.Therefore, during Chuseok, families gather together and eat half-moon-shapedSongpyeonunder the full moon, wishing for a brighter future.There's a belief that if a single woman makes a prettysongpyeon, she will find a great husband, and if a pregnant woman makes a prettysongpyeon, she will have a pretty daughter.
Another popular Korean traditional food that people eat during Chuseok ishangwa. It is a general term to categorize sweet foods made withtteok, meaning rice cake. It is an artistic food decorated with natural colors and textured with patterns.Hangwa,also known asHang,is made with rice flour, honey, fruit, and roots. People use edible natural ingredients to express various colors, flavours, and tastes.  Because of its decoration and nutrition, Koreans eathangnot only during Chuseok, but also for special events, for instance, weddings, birthday parties, and marriages.
The most famous types ofhangwaareyakgwa,yugwa, anddasik.Yakgwais a sweet honey cookie which is made of fried rice flour dough ball andyugwais a fried cookie consisting of glutinous rice mixed with honey water, andcheongju(rice wine).Dasikis a tea cake that people enjoy with tea.
A major element of Chuseok isalcoholic drinks. Liquor drunk on Chuseok is called baekju (백주, 白酒, literally "white wine") and nicknamed sindoju (신도주, 新稻酒, literally "new rice liquor") as it is made of freshly harvested rice.
Kooksoondang, a maker of Korean traditional liquors, restored "Yihwaju", rice wine from theGoryeo era(918–1392), and "Songjeolju" that has been widely enjoyed by Joseon (1392–1910) aristocrats. Its "Jamyang Baekseju" package comprises a variety of liquors ― Jayang Baekseju, Jang Baekseju, Baekokju ― that are claimed to enhance men's stamina.
Adults say that if you drink the alcoholic beverage which the ancestors have drunk; there will be nothing you'll be scared of.
Other foods commonly prepared arejapchae,bulgogi, an assortment ofKorean pancakesalso known asjeon,saengseon(fish), and fruits.
The Korean people started sharing daily necessities, such as sugar, soap or condiments, as Chuseok gifts in the 1960s. The gifts have changed since the Korean economy has developed. In the 1970s, Korean people had more options for Chuseok gifts; examples include cooking oil, toothpaste, instant coffee sets, cosmetics, television and rice cookers. People chose gift sets of fruit, meat and cosmetics in the 1980s. In the 1990s, people used gift vouchers for Chuseok. In the 21st century, more sophisticated gifts, such as sets of sweet desserts, spam, fruits, health supplements, and skincare have become the most popular options for Chuseok gifts.
Some extravagant gifts can be purchased: one kilogram of wild pine mushrooms, which are expensive because they cannot be artificially grown, (560,000 won) US$480.27 and red ginseng products (1.98 million won)  US$1698.11. However, the most exorbitantly priced gift is six bottles of wine at Lotte Department Store for a staggering (33 million won) US$28,301.89.
Chuseok gift sets are big business in Korea and prices are typically inflated around the holiday.
A variety of folk games are played on Chuseok to celebrate the coming of autumn and rich harvest.Sonoriis a folk performance where Village folk dress themselves to resemble a cow or turtle and go from house to house along with anongakband playingpungmulmusic. Other common folk games played on Chuseok aretalchum(mask dance), board game calledYut Nori, (also known asYunnori, Nyout, andYout),archery,ssireum,(Korean wrestling), andjuldarigi;folk games vary by region.
Ssireum(씨름) is the most popular Korean sport played during Chuseok and contests are usually held during this holiday. Scholars have found evidence forssireumsdating back to theGoguryeodynasty,Ssireumis assumed to have 5000 years of history. Two players wrestle each other while holding onto their opponent'ssatba, a red and blue band. A player loses when his upper body touches the ground, and the winner becomesCheonha Jangsa,Baekdu Jangsa, orHalla Jangsa, meaning "the most powerful". The winner gets a bull and 1 kg (2.2 lb) of rice as the prize.Due to its popularity among both the young and the old,ssireumcontests are held more frequently, not limited to important holidays.
Taekkyon(태껸or 택견)  is one of the oldest traditional martial arts of Korea. Taekkyon was very popular during the Joseon period (1392–1897) where it was practised alongsideSsireumduring festivities, including Chuseok. Though originally ahand-to-hand fighting method, plebs used a more tamed version alike to a kicking game. The practitioner uses the momentum of his opponent to knock him down through kicks, swipes and pushes.Tournaments between players from different villages were carried out, starting with the children ("Aegi Taekkyon") before finishing with the adults.
Taekkyon almost disappeared during theJapanese occupation (1910–1945)but is now considered acultural heritage of Korea(1983) and aUNESCO intangible cultural item(2011).
TheGanggangsullae(강강술래)dance is a traditional folk dance performed under the full moon in the night of Chuseok.Women wear Korean traditional dress,hanbok, make a big circle by holding hands, and sing a song while going around a circle. Its name,Ganggangsullae, came from the refrain repeated after each verse, and contains no actual meaning.
The dance originated in the southern coastal area of Korea. To watch a video clip of theGanggangsullaedance, clickhere.
For other folk games, they also playNeolttwigi(also known as theKorean plank), a traditional game played on a wooden board.
Juldarigi(줄다리기), or tug-of-war, was enjoyed by an entire village population. Two groups of people are divided into two teams representing the female and male forces of the natural world. The game is considered an agricultural rite to predict the results of the year's farming. If the team representing the female concept won, it was thought the harvest that year would be rich.
Korean people used to watchchicken fights(닭싸움), and learned how chickens fought; a game inspired by such was invented.
To play the game, people are separated into two balanced groups. One must bend his or her leg up and hold it bent with the knee poking out. The players must then attack each other with their bent knees, having to eliminate them by making their feet touch the ground; the last player holding up his or her knee wins.
The game is about strength, speed, and balance; to stay alive, one must display the capability of fighting back.
Hwatu(화투, also known asGo-StoporGodori) is composed of 48 cards including 12 kinds. The rules of the game and the termwateroriginated fromTujeon.
It was formerly similar toHanafuda, but was changed due to similarities with the latter. It went through a course that made it reduced by four base colors and thinner than before, spreading throughout to turn out goods on a mass-produced basis.
Since Chuseok is a traditional holiday that has been celebrated long before thedivision of Korea, people in North Korea also celebrate Chuseok. However, the ideology that divided Korea also caused some differences between the way that the holiday is celebrated in North Korea from the way it is celebrated in South Korea.In fact, North Korea did not celebrate Chuseok and other traditional holidays until the mid-1980s.
While South Koreans celebrate Chuseok by visiting and spending time with family members, most North Koreans do not have any family gatherings for the holiday. Some, especially those in working classes, try to visit their ancestors' gravesites during Chuseok. However, social and economic issues in North Korea have been preventing visits.In addition, the extremely poor infrastructure of North Korea, especially in terms of public transportation, makes it almost impossible for people to visit grave sites and their families.In contrast to the poorSongbunlower class North Koreans, middle and elite classes enjoy the holiday as they want, easily traveling wherever they want to go.