Chuseok
The Harvest Holiday
Riiiinnngg. I sit next to my cousin, Annie, patiently waiting for a familiar, beloved face to appear on the iPhone my aunt Grace holds in front of us. Riiiinngg. At the third ring, my grandma picks up the call, only it isn’t her face but a view of her living room from the back camera. “Grandma, flip the camera,” I advise through suppressed laughter. Finally, I see my grandma's soft, gentle face. Before Annie and I can say anything, we watch Grandma light up with excitement as she suddenly flips her camera to a lunar calendar nailed to the kitchen wall. Pointing her finger to the square labeled September 15th, she exclaims, “Tomorrow will be the first day of Chuseok, girls!”
For the next half an hour, Grandma passionately sparks a world of stories about South Korea’s annual harvest festival. From cooking flavorful dishes to honoring our ancestors, Grandma exuberantly shares her most meaningful memories of Chuseok. Typically, most eight year olds would start fidgeting and feeling restless during this sedentary activity. As an eight year old myself, however, I sat on the couch calmly and intently listening to each story my grandma painted into vivid light. Her storytelling is a gift that will always remain imprinted on my heart.
Chuseok is a popular Korean holiday that occurs during the fall season and lasts approximately three days. During this time, the concurrent harvest season is recognized with immense glee and seen as a reminder to commemorate our ancestors for all that they bring and bless. The holiday’s initiation is signaled through the use of a lunar calendar. Chuseok can also be referred to as Hangawi, which translates to the 15th day of August.
Chuseok consists of multiple hidden layers that may surprise some individuals. Its celebration upholds a timeless aspect, as shown through its early, extensive history in Korean agriculture to today’s modern traditions and customs. Furthermore, ancestral worship is an essential facet of Chuseok that has stayed everlasting, both in times of old and new.
Building Up From Agricultural Roots
Chuseok’s celebration of the harvest season comes from Korea’s rich background in agriculture and migration. In earlier times, the lifestyle of Korean ancestors consisted of living in small villages, hunting, and collecting plants. Approximately 5,500 years ago, gatherer groups started to collect and prepare millet for crop-growing purposes. Eventually, they moved onto different types of beans, including soy. As early as 2,700 B.C., China’s rice cultivation began spreading to Korea’s southern parts. By 2,500 B.C., iron products were imported into Korea, along with bronze in 1,500 B.C. With strong influence from China and newly developing resources, Korea’s agricultural society gradually expanded. Around 400 B.C., Korean farmers journeyed to southern Japan via a migration route across the Sea of Japan. During the first two millennia A.D., three Korean Kingdoms were established, including the Kingdom of Silla. These cultural societies continued to be greatly influenced by China, in aspects ranging from architecture to religion.
The Kingdom of Silla is a significant setting for Chuseok, as it is where the Korean holiday first originated. During this era, the capital of Silla was split into six divisions. From these different areas, women were placed in two opposing teams with the leaders being princesses. The competition was a weaving contest that lasted a month, with the king announcing the winner on the eighth full moon of the year. The losing team was tasked with being in charge of preparing the food, drinks, and entertainment for the celebration that followed. Overtime, this historic contest developed into Chuseok, occurring on the same date in the lunar calendar.
Clearer Image of the Three Kingdoms and Neighboring China and Japan
Photo Credit: World History Encyclopedia, Three Kingdoms Period in Korea
Family, Food, and Friendship
Today, Koreans come together with their families to celebrate this harvest holiday, bringing in a range of festivities from old to new. The time of Chuseok creates a massive surge of busy families journeying back to nostalgic hometowns. Once settled in one’s hometown, the house bursts with a variety of activities and tasks, including Korean soap opera watching, cooking, and preparing the table for a feast. The feast has two major foods that stand out above all: songpyeon and freshly harvested fruits. Songpyeon is a specific type of Korean rice cake. One traditional folktale about songpyeon is rooted in comical and familial features. It claims that one’s songpyeon can determine the appearance of their offspring. For example, if the individual creates aesthetically pleasing rice cakes, they will have beautiful daughters. On the contrary, if the songpyeon turns out unpleasant looking, their future daughters will be ugly. Despite how blunt this folktale is, it successfully brings family members together as they attempt to make their rice cakes perfect.
Another modern day custom implemented within Chuseok is gift-giving. These holiday-inspired gifts are given to a variety of people, including family members, friends, and business colleagues. Nearing the day of Chuseok, Korean stores begin stocking their shelves and counters with gifts and special sales. A common gift set seen in stores is spam and cooking oil bottles. Cookies paired with Korean snacks is another widely bought set. The act of gift-giving illustrates one of Chuseok’s main ideas: expressing our gratitude to everybody and everything around us.
Honoring the Ancestors
While communities share their appreciation for one another during Chuseok, Koreans’ gratitude is predominantly aimed towards their ancestors. It is highly believed that Korean ancestors are the reason why we have such abundant harvest seasons. In general, ancestors have a prominent role in Korean culture. Thus, multiple ancestral practices take place during Chuseok.
Going back to one’s hometown is a popular tradition, as it strongly unifies and connects Korean families to their ancestors and birthplace. In the house, Koreans hold a ritualistic charye, in which a feast is prepared. The feast involves food and wine offerings, specifically characterized by freshly harvested fruits and crops. Simultaneously, acts of respect take place, including a formal bow to the plates pertaining to ancestors.
However, the charye cannot occur without first setting up the chesa table. The table serves as the placeholder for prepared offerings. This part is essential, and some traditional Koreans even utilize newspaper diagrams that illustrate where to put everything on the table, enabling full precision and organization.
Once the chesa table is established and the charye is completed, family members attend the graves of their ancestors, a practice called seongmyo. At the graves, families clean up and polish the burial area, bring additional offerings, and bow.
Caitlyn Kim via Canva
Beyond a Festival
Chuseok is a memorable time for Korean families. While it may be viewed as a modern day festival where individuals fill their bellies with rice cakes and play cultural games, Chuseok is much more than that. This holiday embodies a long line of ancestors, who took their hard work and set it forth towards new beginnings and a satisfying, plentiful harvest. Within the duality of Chuseok is a reflection of my grandmother’s everlasting love for the annual event, and within that is a reflection of my utmost admiration and gratitude for her.
My grandma dressing me up for my first Chuseok
Photo Credit: My Dad