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.

What is Chuseok?

I mentioned that it’s a major holiday earlier. As such, most businesses close during this time. It’s like Thanksgiving and Christmas combined.

It’s specifically the autumn harvest festival though. And like any good harvest festival, there’s a celebration involving what? A bountiful harvest of course!

How is Chuseok Celebrated?

It’s like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one!

In order to represent a bountiful harvest, there’s lots of food (please pass the japchae (glass noodle stir fry)), wine, and family get togethers. That all sounds familiar right? It’s just like the Thanksgiving we know in the U.S.! Only for Chuseok, it’s also a time for paying respect to the spirits of ancestors by putting out offerings of food and drinks. There is also usually a visit to the ancestral burial grounds (aka cemetary) if you can swing it. Many times it’s WAY out in the middle of nowhere.

It’s like Christmas in that, once again, you meet up with the relatives, but you also give/receive gifts. These gifts are usually food (rice cakes, dried persimmon, etc.) or food related (cooking oil, sugar, etc.) because, duh, it’s a harvest festival.

Also, like the holiday season in the U.S., traveling to, from, or within Korea during this time of year is insane.

This year is especially nuts because of the holiday being so long. People are really celebrating having the days off by taking trips abroad, likely without the extended family. Can you blame them? (Did you know that it’s a running joke in Korea that daughters-in-law quake at the thought of spending time with their mother-in-laws? But that’s a post for another time. )

Let’s Par-Tay

The holiday is celebrated with more than food and drink. There are also folk games, mask dances, and even Korean wrestling. These events are held at cultural museums and palaces, as well as traditional folk villages. And I’m sure you could do these things in your own home if you wanted to as well (no judgment here…just an eyebrow raise).

Childhood Chuseok

The most memorable aspect from my childhood, of this holiday, was the honoring of the ancestors. I remember wondering why my mom put out food that no one was allowed to touch. Offerings of food were usually rice, fresh fruits, prepared vegetable dishes and rice cakes (specifically, songpyeon – not all rice cakes are the same, and this one is half-moon shaped). This was spread out on a low table because then we would bow down to the floor to our ancestors while wearing our traditional Korean clothes (hanbok).

I must admit, it wasn’t my favorite time of year. Donning itchy formalwear and being tempted by delicious food I couldn’t touch, isn’t exactly my idea of fun. But now, as an adult, I’m grateful for the time spent with family and I appreciate that my parents tried to impart Korean traditions.

Isn’t that what Chuseok is really about? Taking a moment to recognize the past and celebrating what you’ve got in the present with those you care about the most? I think so!

Did you celebrate Chuseok? If so, what and how?

My parents always ate the food they put out for the spirits of the ancestors after a period of time. Is that customary or were they just trying to not waste food? What was the norm in your house? I’d love to know so share in the comments below (rhyme unintended ).