Happy (Belated) Chuseok, Daebak-fam!

For those of you in our Daebak-fam who celebrated this past week, we hope you had a very happy Chuseok! And for those of you who don’t know what Chuseok is, keep on reading below for a quick overview!

Chuseok, or Hangawi (15th day of August on the lunar calendar), is commonly translated as “Korean Thanksgiving” and it’s one of the most important holidays within Korean culture. This year, Chuseok fell on September 21, 2021 KST and was observed from September 20, 2021 to September 22, 2021 KST. With three days of celebration, Koreans typically spend time with their close friends and family, pay honor to their ancestors, eat traditional food, and more. 

Customs

There are two major customs practiced during Chuseok: charye and seongmyo. Charye services are actually held twice a year, and for Chuseok, families prepare food such as alcohol and rice cakes as offerings to their ancestors. Following the memorial service, families will then enjoy this food together. Seongmyo also focuses on expressing this appreciation but involves actually visiting ancestral graves - where families tidy the area and perform a simple service to pay their respects to their ancestors.

Food

Chuseok is typically characterized by an abundance of delicious, traditional foods, and oftentimes, families will prepare these foods together before they sit down to enjoy them.

One major food prepared for Chuseok is songpyeon, a traditional Korean rice cake that can vary in filling from sesame seeds, black beans, honey and more. After shaping, the songpyeon are steamed over pine needles, which contributes an aromatic fragrance and explains the “song” (which means pine tree in Korean) in its name. There are even beliefs associated with songpyeon, such as the saying that a single woman who makes a pretty songpyeon will find a great husband.

A jeon is a traditional Korean pancake—albeit not the sweet fluffy breakfast that might have come to mind. These pancakes are savory, made with a base of egg and/or flour and are filled with ingredients like kimchi, fish, etc. Jeon are typical staples of a Korean meal, and as such, they can’t be forgotten when preparing on a day as important as Chuseok!

Of course, there are many more foods that decorate the dining table on Chuseok, like japchae, bulgogi, and baekju.

Other Activities

Chuseok is a time for family and close ones, but it is also a time of great fun and cheer! In addition to the above, Koreans often partake in folk games or gift giving. These folk games include various sports, card games, dances, and more, and they aim to celebrate the arrival of autumn. Gift giving, on the other hand, is a more modern custom, and gifts generally consist of food and other items that can be shared with the family.

Happy Belated Chuseok

Now that you know a bit more about this holiday, be sure to wish your Korean friends and acquaintances a belated happy Chuseok! Maybe next year you can even help your Korean friends, family, and/or acquaintances celebrate!