What is 추석 (Chuseok)?

About 추석 (Chuseok)

추석 (Chuseok), also known as Korean Thanksgiving Day, is on August 15th of lunar calendar.

It’s a three-day holiday, which includes the day before and after Chuseok.

Traditionally, all families gather to give thanks to their ancestors for the year’s harvest.

Another word for 추석 (Chuseok) is 한가위 (Hangawi)

If interpreted word for word,

추석 means a night in autumn with the brightest moon.

한가위 means a big day in the middle of August (Lunar calendar).

즐거운 추석/한가위 보내세요 = Have a nice 추석/한가위

The Harvest Moon

September’s full moon, the Harvest Moon, rises on the day of Chuseok.

The full moon symbolizes abundance, prosperity and good fortune.

People visiting their hometowns

It’s time for everyone who moved to Seoul from other regions, for a job or school, to visit their family. You know what this means: traffic jam.

A lot of people prefer taking a train that doesn’t have to go through all the traffic. But the train tickets get sold out very quickly.

A few weeks before Chuseok, just like applying for university courses, the train tickets are available only at a set time online. It’s first-come, first-served!

If people don’t figure out how to get to their house in advance, they might not be able to get home!

What do Koreans do in Chuseok?

It’s time for the family to bond. Families eat delicious foods, play games, talk about their lives, etc. Many families do ancestral rites, cooking food for the ancestors and bowing down.

What do Koreans eat in Chuseok?

송편 (Songpyeon)

It’s a half-moon shaped rice cake that contains different types of fillings, which include sesame seeds, honey, red beans, jujubes, dates, chestnuts, and more.

In our next post, we’ll talk more about how Koreans traditionally spend Chuseok.

???? 즐거운 추석 보내세요. Happy Chuseok ????