Chuseok

Chuseok (Korean: 추석), originally known as Hangawi (한가위) (from archaic Korean for "great middle"), is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Like many other harvest festivals, it is held around the Autumn Equinox. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional foodhttps://chuseok.org/chuseok-a-korean-thanksgiving/.
== Origins ==
Historically and according to popular belief, Chuseok originates from Gabae started during the reign of the third king of the kingdom of Silla (57 BCE - 935 CE), when it was a month-long weaving contest between two teams.The Academy of Korean Studies, ed. (1991), "Chuseok", Encyclopedia of Korean People and Culture, Woongjin (in Korean)Farhadian, Charles E. (2007). Christian Worship Worldwide. Wm. Bm. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 9780802828538. Come the day of Gabae, the team that had woven more cloth had won and was treated to a feast by the losing team.
Many scholars also believe Chuseok may originate from ancient shamanistic celebrations of the harvest moon.Farhadian, Charles E. (2007). Christian Worship Worldwide. Wm. Bm. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 9780802828538. New harvests are offered to local deities and ancestors, which means Chuseok may have originated as a worship ritual.Korea University Institute of Korean Culture, ed. (1982), "Social Life", Korean Heritage Overview, 1, Korea University (in Korean) In some areas, if there is no harvest, worship rituals are postponed, or in areas with no annual harvest, Chuseok is not celebrated.
== Traditional customs ==
In modern South Korea, on Chuseok there is a mass exodus of Koreans returning to their hometowns to pay respects to the spirits of one's ancestors. People perform ancestral worship rituals early in the morning. They often visit the tombs of their immediate ancestors to trim plants and clean the area around the tomb, and offer food, drink, and crops to their ancestors. Harvest crops are attributed to the blessing of ancestors.
One of the major foods prepared and eaten during the Chuseok holiday is songpyeon (송편), a crescent-shaped rice cake which is steamed upon pine needles. Other dishes commonly prepared are japchae, bulgogi and fruits.
=== Folk games ===
A variety of folk games are played on Chuseok to celebrate the coming of Autumn and rich harvest. Village folk dress themselves to look like a cow or a turtle, and go from house to house along with a Nongak band playing music. Other common folk games played on Chuseok are tug of war, ssireum, archery and gama fighting. Folk games also vary from region to region. Ganggangsullae dance which is forming a circle under a moon is performed by women and children in southwestern coastal regions, and cockfighting or bullfighting in the southern regions.
== Dates for Chuseok on the Gregorian calendar ==
Chuseok is on the following dates: 
*2021: 21 September
*2022: 10 September
*2023: 28 September
*2024: 17 September
*2025: 6 October
*2026: 23 September
*2027: 15 September
*2028: 3 October
*2029: 22 September
*2030: 12 September
==Notes==
==References==
*The Academy of Korean Studies, ed. (1991), "Chuseok", Encyclopedia of Korean People and Culture, Woongjin (in Korean)
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* (in Korean)
Category:Buddhist holidays