What is the Meaning of Chuseok in Korea?

 

September 21, 2021 is Chuseok in Korea. Many people say Chuseok and Thanksgivings are very similar as both of them celebrate the successful autumn harvest. Chuseok in Korea is on the 15th of the lunar calendar, and the official holiday is usually three days. During the three-day holiday, Koreans spend a quality time with their family, eat delicious food, and hold rituals called charye to express their appreciation to their ancestors.

Even though the meaning of Chuseok and Thanksgiving Day is similar, there is a slight difference between the two. While Americans give thanks to God on Thanksgivings, Koreans thank their individual ancestors on Chuseok. This shows a glimpse of Korea’s Confucian culture.

Common foods for Chuseok are songpyeon (half-moon-shaped rice cake), jeon (Korean pancakes), etc. Families often prepare songpyeon and cook jeon together for charye. Some traditional games played on Chuseok are ganggangsullae (similar to ring-around-the-rosies), paengichigi (top spinning), and ttakjichigi (paper disk flipping), etc. Though the culture of playing these traditional games have dwindled recently, many families still get together on the holidays and play their favorite games!

Many stores are closed on Chuseok Day and so are banks and schools. There is usually a lot of traffic on expressways, so if you have plans to travel, be aware that there will be heavy traffic. Due to COVID-19, a total of eight family members including four fully vaccinated people may gather at homes. Try making songpyeon, cooking jeon, or playing traditional games like yutnori at home over the holidays.