Korean Culture Lesson: Korean Thanksgiving (Chuseok)
추석 (Chuseok) is usually referred to in English as Korean Thanksgiving, which is pretty much what it is. Since it is around the corner, here’s a quick run down on what and when the holiday is (especially if you watch Music shows, dramas, or variety shows as they will be having 추석 specials, or live IN Korea and want to know what the heck is going on)
(short version) A celebration of the harvest season (less so now, but traditionally) and honoring loved ones that have passed on.
The 14th to the 16th days of the 8th Lunar month. Basically, this means it changes every year. This year (2018) it’s September 23rd-25th. But since day one is on a Sunday, they’ve extended it to Wednesday the 26th. You aren’t expected to remember the Lunar calendar. Much like how Easter changes every year, just Google it.
Everyone goes home. Especially people who currently live in Seoul. Traditionally it’s wherever your family is ORIGINALLY from, but now it’s mainly wherever your grandparents live. People (tbh women) usually start preparing food a few days in advanced. The main aspects are as follows:
성묘 (Seongmyo): visiting your ancestors’ actual grave sites. This is getting less frequent partially because of travel (people living farther and farther away and traffic is a nightmare) and because of more religious reasons (Christianity tends to frown upon ancestral worship). Food is offered to ancestors (and lunches are also packed for the living). There is a technical way to prepare and place food, but I’ll go into more detail with that in a later post.
벌초 (Beolcho): This goes hand in hand with 성묘. This is where you pull out the weeds and in general tidy up the burial site.
차례 (Charye): Seongmyo, but at home. There’s more differences, but essentially it’s a similar thing with the food and ancestor honoring but it’s at home. This is one most families usually still do, since, ya know, it’s at home.
There’s also some fun, too. Don’t worry. (Most of these are played at New Years, too, but these are easily done with big groups and the traditional bigger stuff is harder to coordinate, so I’ll tell you both, I’ll mark the super traditional ones with a 🎴)
윷놀이 (Yut) Its a stick board game that’s kind of confusing, but here’s a picture of what it looks like.
닭싸움 (Chicken fight!) We play this after Yut at my church every year. Is it traditional? Idk but every Korean church I’ve gone to has at least played this with the youth. You hop on one leg while holding the other in front of you and try to knock them over.
투호 (Tuho) Horseshoes/corn hole, but with sticks and some type of pot thing
씨름 (Ssireum) 🎴 Korean Traditional Wrestling
널뛰기 (Neolttwigi) 🎴 A giant see-saw thing where you actually jump on it and you try to jump the other person up high enough so you can like do some tricks off of it
강강술래 (Ganggangsullae) short version, a dance for the moon (usually just done by women)
NOW we’re talking. Koreans like to eat specific foods for specific circumstances and 추석 is no exception. For 차례, there’s a specific way the food is supposed to be set up, but it varies from region to region and family to family.
Everyone always has 송편 (songpyeon) (a type of ddeok/rice cake). They’re usually either white, green, or purple and filled with chestnut, red beans, jujubes, honey, or sesame. (The sweeter ones are better but don’t tell my 할매). 송편 is to 추석 as Turkey is to American Thanksgiving. Everyone does it a little differently, but it’s usually always there.
전 (jeon) and 막걸리 (makgeolli) are another classic that seems to be forever present. The 전 is either the normal pancake style or individual vegetables fried like what you might know as tempura.
잡채 (japchae) are clear noodles with an assortment of veggies (and beef sometimes) and I’m not sure if it’s exactly traditional, but it’s always at every 추석 meal I’ve attended.
Fruits like Korean pear and grapes are also plentiful both for us and for our ancestors
What to expect if you are IN Korea:
Traffic if you anticipate to travel. Like take your regular travel time and double it. However, if you live in a big city, it’s going to be significantly less crowded as most everyone will be back in the countryside. Since you will have these days off work/school, you may be keen to travel, but be aware that bus and train tickets are easily already booked and more expensive. Also, a lot of restaurants (especially smaller ones) will be closed. So stock up on food at home (and ask your regular go-tos, but they will usually have a sign stating if they will be open or not) to prepare so you don’t starve. If you aren’t Korean, there’s a chance you could get invited to a friend or significant other’s house. If you do, don’t be nervous or stressed! They usually won’t make you help cook since they assume you can’t, and they’re usually nice about teaching you games and how food is set up and what stuff is. And most are appreciative that you care (and now hopefully know a bit about some stuff).
추석 잘 보내세요! Happy Chuseok!
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