Next Tuesday is August 15th on the lunar calendar, which is 추석(Chuseok), one of the biggest holidays in Korea alongside 설날(Seollal). 추석 is a day to wish for a bountiful harvest before the autumn harvest season and is also known as 한가위(Hangawi).
The holiday spans three days, including the day before and the day after 추석. This year, we're lucky because 추석 falls on a Tuesday, allowing us to enjoy a five-day break starting from the weekend! :) In this post, I'll talk about how Koreans actually celebrate 추석 next week.
The Great Migration
During 추석, families and relatives gather at their parents’ or grandparents’ homes. In my case, we all meet at my grandmother’s house in the countryside. This large-scale movement of people heading to their hometowns causes heavy traffic on the highways, and train or bus tickets have to be booked three weeks in advance. Normally, driving from Seoul to Busan takes about four hours, but during 추석, it can take up to ten hours! Even though the journey is long and tiring, Koreans look forward to it, packing gifts and heading home with excitement.
Many people wear 한복(hanbok), Korea’s traditional clothing, during 추석. However, since 한복 can be bulky and inconvenient, not everyone wears it, though children are often dressed up in it because they look so adorable.
Various Traditions
One of the key traditions during 추석 is 성묘(seongmyo), where families visit the graves of their ancestors to pay respects. Before this, nearby family members often take care of the graves by clearing overgrown weeds, a process called 벌초(beolcho). Another common practice is 차례(charye), where families prepare a table full of food to perform ancestral rites at home. However, in recent years, many families have simplified or skipped this practice due to the complicated preparations involved. Personally, I’ve never participated in 차례.
추석 is also a time for families and relatives to gather, share stories, and enjoy traditional games. My family enjoys simple games like 제기차기(jegichagi, a game similar to hacky sack) and 윷놀이(yutnori, a traditional board game). Other traditional activities like 널뛰기(neolttwigi, Korean seesaw), 강강술래(ganggangsullae ,a circle dance), and 씨름(ssireum, Korean wrestling) are part of 추석 traditions, though it’s rare to play ourselves nowadays.
A Feast of Traditional Foods
Of course, 추석 wouldn’t be complete without a feast. One of the most well-known 추석 foods is 송편(songpyeon), a type of rice cake filled with ingredients like red beans or sesame seeds. Families gather to make 송편 together, chatting as they work. However, I’m not a big fan of 송편 because there are so many other delicious foods! Every household prepares a variety of dishes, such as 전(jeon, savory pancakes) and 갈비(galbi, grilled ribs), and we all eat to our hearts' content. My family especially loves a dish made of skewered pork and kimchi, which is my favorite holiday food.
Since the holiday is filled with rich and plentiful food, many people end up with stomachaches once 추석 is over. I’ve experienced this a few times myself, so now I try to take it slow and enjoy the food in moderation.
➤ As families have become smaller and daily life busier, many of these traditional practices have become more simplified. Some people now use the long holiday to travel abroad. The ways in which people celebrate are becoming more diverse to suit their own situations. Personally, I still enjoy spending 추석 with all of my relatives. The memories of holidays spent at my grandmother’s house in the countryside are some of the happiest moments from my childhood.
