A significant mid-October harvest festival and a three-day holiday in South Korea, Chuseok, or 추석, literally translates as "autumn evening" and is also known as Hangawi or 한가위, from the old Korean for "the vast middle (of autumn)". It is commemorated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month on the full moon.
Koreans travel to their original hometowns to celebrate a successful harvest by visiting relatives and feasting on traditional cuisine.
Chuseok is a food-centered holiday, and preparation, cooking, and feasting often take up the majority of holiday time.
The younger generation is celebrating with anything tasty as tradition fades, just like Americans do these days for Thanksgiving.
Savory pancakes, called jeon, are one of the central pieces of this holiday. They may be made with either flour or egg batter and come in a wide range of flavors, including pa-jeon (scallions), buchu-jeon (garlic chives), gamja-jeon (potatoes), kimchi-jeon (kimchi), and virtually anything else.
Japchae is a stir-fry meal prepared using "glass noodles," also known as dangmyeon, which are manufactured from sweet potato starch. It is topped with meat and veggies and seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil.
They also consume songpyeon, also known as 송편, yakgwa, traditional snacks, as well as fruits like Asian pears and hallabong and rice wines like sindoju and dongdongju.
There are two main customs associated with Chuseok: Seongmyo, or 성묘 when family members visit the grave which is typically accompanied by Beolcho or 벌초 by cleaning up the area surrounding graves and eliminating weeds, and Charye 차례, also known as Jesa or ancestor memorial rites at home.
Another significant tradition is to prepare the ancestors' favorite meals as an offering.
Today, many people enjoy giving away gifts that contain alcohol, spam, tuna, or other foods. Even businesses will give you gifts or cash.
One of the most significant holidays in Korea is Chuseok, and people enjoy cooking and eating as much food as they can.
You can feel lonely if you're in Korea at this time, so I advise meeting up with friends, going on a picnic, or attempting to prepare some local cuisine on your own. The Chuseok spirit is then more appreciated.
Every year we try to cook traditional food, meet friends and enjoy the holidays together! This always makes it more special and more friendly.
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