Chuseok

Chuseok is one of the two major holidays in Korea. It is celebrated on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. During Chuseok, Koreans from all over the country usually go to their homeland to see their relatives.

Chuseok coincides with the autumn harvest, a time of abundance and prosperity. The first harvest is brought to the ancestors in gratitude for protection during the year.

During the holiday, relatives gather at one table. The table is laid not only for guests, but also for the ancestors. The relatives dress in hanbok and perform the ceremony of remembrance. This is an expression of filial piety, when the descendants want to sincerely serve the ancestors as if they were alive. After the ceremony is over, everyone eats the food they have prepared and communicates.

It is also customary on Chusok to share a delicious meal with neighbors and have a pleasant day. No matter how poor people lived, they shared food and had a good time, which is why the saying “No more, no less, no more, no less than 365 days a year” was born. Various activities and games are held during Chusok.

Originally, the ideal of creation was for people to honor their ancestors, inherit their good fortune, and spread it. Koreans traditionally brought the first fruits of their efforts to their ancestors, and thus the Chuseok holiday came into being. Even considering this one aspect, we can see that Koreans led their culture in terms of uniting the spiritual and physical worlds, that is, including the ancestors in their lives.