Chuseok facts for kids

Chuseok (추석, 秋夕), also known as Hangawi (한가위), is a very important harvest festival and a three-day holiday in South Korea. It's celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is full. In North Korea, people celebrate for just one day. Like many other harvest festivals around the world, Chuseok happens around the autumn equinox, which is at the end of summer or early autumn. It's the biggest traditional holiday in South Korea.

During Chuseok, Koreans celebrate a good harvest. They often travel to their ancestral hometowns to spend time with family. They share a big feast of traditional Korean foods like songpyeon (a type of rice cake), yakgwa (honey cookies), fruits like Asian pear, and rice wines.

There are two main traditions during Chuseok:

• Charye (차례): These are special services at home to remember ancestors.
• Seongmyo (성묘): Families visit their ancestors' graves. This usually includes Beolcho (벌초), which means tidying the graves and removing weeds.

Another important custom is preparing the ancestors' favorite meals as an offering.

Quick facts for kids Chuseok
Songpyeon, a type of tteok to celebrate Chuseok.
Official name	Chuseok (추석, 秋夕)
Also called	Hangawi, Jungchujeol
Observed by	Koreans
Type	Cultural, religious (Buddhist, Confucian, Muist)
Significance	Celebrates the harvest
Observances	Visit to their family's home town, ancestor worship, harvest feasts with songpyeon and rice wines
Begins	14th day of the 8th lunar month
Ends	16th day of the 8th lunar month
Date	15th day of the 8th lunar month
2022 date	9 September – 11 September
2023 date	28 September – 30 September
2024 date	16 September – 18 September
2025 date	5 October – 7 October
Frequency	Annual
Related to	Mid-Autumn Festival (in China) Tsukimi (in Japan) Tết Trung Thu (in Vietnam) Uposatha of Ashvini/Krittika (similar festivals that generally occur on the same day in Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand )

Hanbok

Songpyeon

What are the origins of Chuseok?

Many people believe Chuseok started from something called gabae. This began during the time of the third king of the Silla kingdom (57 BC - 935 AD). It was a month-long weaving contest between two teams. On the day of Gabae, the team that wove more cloth won. The losing team then had to treat the winners to a big feast! It's thought that other fun activities like archery and martial arts shows were also part of the celebrations.

Some experts also think Chuseok might come from ancient celebrations related to Korean shamanism. These were held during the harvest moon. People would offer their new harvests to local gods and ancestors. This means Chuseok might have started as a way to show thanks and respect. In some places, if there isn't a good harvest, the celebrations might be delayed or not happen at all.

What are the traditional customs?

In modern South Korea, during Chuseok, many people travel from big cities back to their hometowns. They do this to honor their ancestors. Chuseok celebrates the good harvest and hopes for an even better year ahead.

Families perform special ancestor worship rituals early in the morning. After that, they visit the graves of their close ancestors. They clean the area around the tomb, trim plants, and offer food, drinks, and crops to their ancestors. The rest of the day is spent playing traditional games and enjoying time with family.

Koreans often think autumn is the best season. This is because of the clear skies, cool winds, and perfect weather for harvesting crops. They believe the good harvest is a blessing from their ancestors.

While many South Koreans visit their families, there are also festivities at the National Folk Museum of Korea. Many places like banks, schools, and stores are closed during this national holiday.

What is Charye?

Charye is one of the special ceremonies to remember ancestors during Chuseok. It shows how much food was harvested and honors ancestors and past family members. Families gather to hold this service. They prepare and offer special foods made from the harvest.

Preparing these foods often takes many hours, with families starting early in the morning. This tradition shows respect for the spirits of ancestors, believing they continue to protect their families. The foods offered can be different depending on the region, but usually include fresh rice, rice cakes (like songpyeon), fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables.

The way the foods are placed on the Charye table is also important. Traditionally, rice and soup go on the north side, and fruits and vegetables on the south. Meat dishes are placed in the middle and on the west, while rice cakes and drinks like makgeolli or soju go on the east. These details can change from one region to another.

What is Hanbok?

The hanbok is the traditional clothing that Korean people wear. In South Korea, it's called hanbok, and in North Korea, it's called Choson-ot. People wear it on special holidays and for formal events, like Chuseok, Lunar New Year, and weddings. The word "hanbok" simply means "Korean clothing."

A basic hanbok includes a jeogori jacket, baji pants, a chima skirt, and a po coat. The design of the hanbok has stayed mostly the same over time, and it comes in many different colors.

What foods are eaten during Chuseok?

Songpyeon

One of the most important foods eaten during Chuseok is songpyeon (송편). This is a traditional Korean rice cake. It's made with ingredients like sesame seeds, black beans, mung beans, cinnamon, pine nuts, walnuts, chestnuts, jujubes, and honey.

When making songpyeon, it's very important to steam them over a layer of pine needles. The word song in songpyeon means pine tree in Korean. The pine needles give songpyeon a lovely smell, and also make them look and taste better.

Songpyeon is also special because of its shape. Some songpyeon are shaped like a ball. However, the rice skin itself looks like a full moon. But once the filling is wrapped inside, it becomes a half-moon shape.

There's an old Korean story from the Three Kingdoms of Korea era. It says that the shapes of the full moon and half-moon decided the future of two rival kingdoms, Baekje and Silla. A message found on a turtle's back said, "Baekje is full-moon and Silla is half-moon." This predicted that Baekje would fall and Silla would rise. This came true when Silla won against Baekje.

Because of this, Koreans have believed that a half-moon shape means a bright future or victory. So, during Chuseok, families gather and eat half-moon-shaped Songpyeon under the full moon, hoping for a good future. There's also a fun belief: if a single woman makes a pretty songpyeon, she will find a great husband. If a pregnant woman makes a pretty songpyeon, she will have a pretty daughter!

Hangwa

Another popular traditional Korean food for Chuseok is hangwa. This is a general name for sweet foods made with tteok (rice cake). Hangwa are often decorated with natural colors and patterns, making them look like art. They are made with rice flour, honey, fruit, and roots. People use natural ingredients to create different colors, flavors, and tastes. Because they are so pretty and tasty, Koreans eat hangwa not just during Chuseok, but also for special events like weddings and birthday parties.

The most well-known types of hangwa are yakgwa (sweet honey cookies), yugwa (fried cookies made with glutinous rice and honey water), and dasik (tea cakes often enjoyed with tea).

Other Chuseok foods

Other common foods prepared for Chuseok include japchae (stir-fried noodles and vegetables), bulgogi (marinated grilled beef), different kinds of Korean pancakes (also called jeon), saengseon (fried fish), tteokguk (rice cake soup), and fresh fruits.

What kinds of gifts are given?

History of Chuseok gifts

In the 1960s, Korean people started giving everyday items as Chuseok gifts, like sugar, soap, or cooking spices. As the Korean economy grew, the gifts changed. In the 1970s, people had more choices, such as cooking oil, toothpaste, instant coffee sets, or even televisions. By the 1980s, gift sets of fruit, meat, and cosmetics were popular. In the 1990s, gift vouchers became common. In the 21st century, more modern gifts like sets of fancy desserts, health supplements, and skincare products are popular choices for Chuseok.

Types of Chuseok gifts and prices

Some Chuseok gifts can be quite expensive. For example, a kilogram of wild pine mushrooms, which are rare because they can't be grown on farms, can cost around US$480. Red ginseng products can be even more, around US$1698. The most expensive gifts can be luxury items like special wines. Chuseok gift sets are a big business in Korea, and prices often go up around the holiday.

What folk games are played?

Many different folk games are played on Chuseok. These games celebrate the arrival of autumn and the rich harvest.

• Sonori: This is a performance where villagers dress up like a cow or a turtle. They go from house to house with a nongak band playing traditional pungmul music.
• Other common games include talhum (mask dance), the board game Yut Nori, archery, ssireum (Korean wrestling), and juldarigi (tug-of-war). These games can vary by region.

Ssireum

Ssireum (씨름) is a very popular Korean sport played during Chuseok. Contests are often held during this holiday. Experts believe ssireum has a history of 5000 years, dating back to the Goguryeo dynasty.

In ssireum, two players wrestle each other. They hold onto their opponent's satba, which is a red and blue band. A player loses if their upper body touches the ground. The winner gets special titles like Cheonha Jangsa, Baekdu Jangsa, or Halla Jangsa, which mean "the most powerful." The winner often receives a bull and rice as a prize. Because it's so popular with all ages, ssireum contests are now held more often, not just on holidays.

Taekkyon

Taekkyeon (태껸 or 택견) is one of Korea's oldest traditional martial arts. It was very popular during the Joseon period (1392-1897) and was practiced alongside Ssireum during festivals like Chuseok. While it was originally a fighting method, people often played a gentler version that was more like a kicking game.

Players use their opponent's movement to knock them down using kicks, swipes, and pushes. Tournaments were held between players from different villages, starting with children and ending with adults.

Taekkyon almost disappeared during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945). But now, it's recognized as a cultural heritage of Korea (since 1983) and a UNESCO intangible cultural item (since 2011).

Ganggangsullae

The Ganggangsullae (강강술래) dance is a traditional folk dance. It's performed under the full moon on the night of Chuseok. Women wear traditional Korean dresses, hanbok. They form a big circle by holding hands and sing a song while dancing around. The name Ganggangsullae comes from the part of the song repeated after each verse, and it doesn't have a specific meaning.

The dance started in the southern coastal area of Korea. People also play Neolttwigi (Korean plank), another traditional game played on a wooden board.

Juldarigi

Juldarigi (줄다리기), or tug-of-war, was a game enjoyed by an entire village. Two groups of people would form two teams, often representing male and female forces of nature. This game was seen as a farming ritual to predict how good the year's harvest would be. If the team representing the female concept won, it was believed the harvest that year would be plentiful.

Chicken Fight (Dak SSa Umm)

Korean people used to watch chicken fights (닭싸움). They learned how chickens fought, and this inspired a game.

To play, people are divided into two balanced teams. Each player bends one leg up and holds it with their knee sticking out. Players then try to attack each other with their bent knees. The goal is to make the opponent's foot touch the ground. The last player still holding their knee up wins. This game tests strength, speed, and balance.

Hwatu

Hwatu (화투), also known as Go-Stop, is a card game played with 48 cards divided into 12 types. The rules of the game and the term water came from an older game called Tujeon.

Chuseok in North Korea

Chuseok is a traditional holiday that was celebrated long before Korea was divided. So, people in North Korea also celebrate Chuseok. However, the way it's celebrated in North Korea is different from South Korea. North Korea didn't celebrate Chuseok and other traditional holidays until the mid-1980s.

While South Koreans celebrate Chuseok by visiting and spending time with family, most North Koreans don't have family gatherings for the holiday. Some, especially those who work hard, try to visit their ancestors' graves during Chuseok. However, challenges in North Korea, especially with public transportation, make it very difficult for people to visit grave sites and their families. In contrast, people in higher social classes in North Korea can enjoy the holiday more freely and travel where they wish.

See also

In Spanish: Chuseok para niños