Happy Chuseok (better known as “Korean Thanksgiving”) Everyone!

What time is it?

It’s Chuseok time! It’s time for families to gather and celebrate!

Chuseok is a major holiday, if not THE major holiday in Korea (North and South). It’s celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. I don’t go by a lunar calendar. So I rely on the good ole internet to tell me when it is.

This year it’s ten days long, which is unusually long. Even though it doesn’t begin until October 4th, 2017 and ends on October 6th, the day before and after are also part of the holiday. This stretches out the holiday break to include two weekends. On top of that, the holiday includes National Foundation Day on October 3rd and Hangeul Day on October 9th this year.

Usually Chuseok is two to three days long. It’s just long enough to have the obligatory get togethers with family, gorge on food, and pay respects to ancestors. [Read more…]