Chuseok is like a Hari Gawai in Malaysia, or a harvest festival / mid-Autumn festival where Koreans celebrated the bountiful harvest during autumn and thanked their ancestors.
Have you ever wonder how Koreans celebrated Chuseok? Stay tuned till the last line of my article as I share some insights on how Koreans celebrated this annual event 🙂
Three keywords that well represent Chuseok celebrations;
– Family gatherings,
– Food and
– Traffic Jam!
Just like any other annual celebrations in Malaysia – like Hari Raya Aidilfitri for muslims, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Thaipusam; this Chuseok festival is a long 3-day-holiday for Koreans~ With that being said, of course, this is the time where the traffic got congested at its best! Most Koreans go back to their hometowns to spend nice and quality family time during the holiday.
The traffic is serious when one of Running Man’s penalty was to do a live broadcast at a rest stop on the road to Seoul during Chuseok – in another word, you will go back and reach home the most late. (Source: The Korea Herald)
Since this is the time that many go back to visit their parents, relatives and family outside of Seoul, the tickets are pretty much sold out everywhere so be sure to plan your trip in Korea and book your tickets accordingly if you were to come here during Chuseok – be it via plane, train, bus & the rest. Be prepared to be stuck hours and hours long in a car if you were to travel to suburb during this busy period. (Or psssttt, you could just enjoy Seoul to yourself while the rest are out of town *wink)
(Read more here: Korea.net)
As for family gatherings, Koreans dress beautifully and wear Hanbok during this meaningful and happy celebrations. They also bow before their ancestors to show respect. Koreans held the worship rituals on the morning of Chuseok. This is where the women in the family had the busiest time of their life, preparing enormous kinds and amount of food for the celebrations.
Another common ritual is a grave-visiting activity where Koreans visit their ancestral grave and pluck out the weeds growing around. From my reading, it’s usually done before the Chuseok Day or on the day itself.
Next come the interesting part! There is no holiday and celebrations without a scrumptious feast of food!! During Chuseok, you could have Songpyeon, or half-moon shaped rice cake – filled with sweet and nutty fillings which is one of the Korean traditional delish during the celebration.
They say, those who makes beautiful songpyeon will get a nice spouse and makes beautiful babies *blushing*
Other than Songpyeon, you could find assorted jeons or pancake on the table during Chuseok. Korean pear and other fruits are also being served. Each household has their own & different arrays of food during this annual celebration.
After food comes the games. As family from the adults till the kids gather around, it’s time for some good quality time together. And so folk games like Yut Nori, Gonggi and more are being played~
Not to forget, during Chuseok, gifts are one of the main events as you can see gift sets being sold everywhere during this peak season, at every entrance of big to small supermarkets and stores. Choosing a gift for your family or friends when you’re visiting them in Korea during Chuseok or when you’ve been invited over for dinner / gathering is important. Read about Chuseok Gifts by my fellow MyDaehan author here.
Chuseok 2021: All About Chuseok Gifts that Koreans Like
The once-a-year national festival of Koreans, Chuseok is finally back in year 2021! Chuseok is celebrated to express our gratitude and appreciation to our families, friends and colleagues! Therefore, Chuseok gift culture is very common in the Korean community. What is ‘Chuseok Festival’ : Chuseok (추석) is another great Korean holidays after Seollal in the…
Gift tips: Never buy any gift written in red and in sets of 4 (as they believe that the number of ‘4’ associated with death), and never buy them knives/scissors as they could mean that you wanna end your friendship/relationship with them!
Have you ever experienced Chuseok festival and celebration in Korea? Tag us @MyDaehan to share your story! Hope you enjoy a little insight on How Koreans Celebrate Chuseok with me. Till next time, annyeong~
즐거운 추석 되세요 ❤
Author
Nurin Nabila | 누린
- Korea.net Honorary Reporter
- Korea-ASEAN Online Supporter
- KTO K-Friends
- Korean enthusiast since 2017
Connect with me on:
- Instagram: @korea.wanderlust
- Facebook: Korea.wanderlust
MyDaehan 🍂 