Chusok Festival Traditions

Chuseok, which falls Sept. 28 this year, is observed to honor ancestors followed by a much-awaited reunion of family and friends. It is a time when Korean families come together over oodles of freshly made “songpyeon” (rice cakes) and fun traditional games as the gentle autumn breeze heralds news of a good harvest.

For foreign tourists, Chuseok could be both the best and worst time to be in Seoul -- worst because since most Koreans travel to their hometowns and most shops are closed for business, Seoul resembles more of a ghost town than the bustling metro it usually is. On the brighter side, there is no better time than this to learn about Korean customs and traditions. For a novice to Korea, Chuseok offers some of the best insights into a culture that has managed to survive and flourish in today’s fast-paced society.

Chuseok is a time for homecoming and family reunions, while featuring ancestor memorial services.
At the break of dawn on Chuseok, family members dressed in their traditional finery carry out a simple memorial service known as “charye,” either at home or at the family grave site. The elaborate food offering placed before the burial mound or tombstone is prepared with painstaking efforts by the women in the family.

Once the ancestral rites are completed, the revelry begins.

Food plays a big role in the celebration, as it does in most traditional societies. Koreans brew wine and prepare various dishes with beef, fish and vegetables, all set to dazzle the taste buds. A variety of fruits like persimmons, dates, nuts and more recently, apples and pears have also made their way into Korean traditional offerings. All these gastronomical delights are first offered to the ancestors and later shared by the family members.

No Chuseok, however, is complete without songpyeon. These pine-flavored rice cakes are prepared by kneading rice powder into dough with boiling water, and stuffed with sesame, red beans or chestnuts. Koreans, old and young, sit around in their ancestral homes surrounded by their near and dear ones and catch up on each other’s lives while making songpyeon. Children join in the preparation too, mostly seduced by the taste of the delicious rice cakes.

Traditional games


Indeed, for many, Chuseok is a time to escape, even if for a short while, from the trials and worries of the modern world. A feeling of carefree abandon and joy like what you once experienced in your younger days can only be relived through the traditional games that are played during Chuseok.

In the game of “somuginori,” two people dress up as a bull and go door to door asking for food. Another fun-filled game is the tug-of-war, the result of which is used to predict whether the next harvest will be good. If the east side wins, farmers brace themselves for a bad year.

Keeping with tradition, young men vie for victory in “ssireum,” or Korean wrestling. The girls, on the other hand, enjoy “gune-ttuigi,” or swinging under a tree. The sight of women in their traditional “hanbok” on swings with the wind caressing their faces is nothing short of breathtaking.

An interesting ritual performed during Chuseok is a dance called “ganggangsuwollae” performed by women. The lyrics express desires for happiness, longevity and love. Its origin goes back to the time when the Japanese invaded Korea in 1592. Admiral Yi Sun-shin ordered the women of a nearby village to build fires on hilltops, form a ring and dance around the fire to make it seem that there were more Korean soldiers than the actual number. The dance has, since then, become a symbol of victory and joy.

Gift-giving has also assumed great commercial importance today. In the olden days, people gave traditional confectioneries packed in traditional mulberry paper and baskets and carried in a wrapping cloth. As time changed, this tradition has undergone a change too. Nowadays, people prefer giving prepackaged gift sets that could contain anything from imported coffee to personal hygiene products, beef sets and fish sets