Korea Thanksgiving Holiday Notice

- September 05, 2019

Korean Holiday - Let's find out what Chuseok is?

Chuseok is the day people are thankful for harvest that had been safely gathered after a year of farming. It is also called Thanks giving Day in foreign countries. Then, why Chuseok is emerged?

It has begun to provide the crops after a hard year of farming to ancestors for gratitude. That is why whole families are gathered to have a memorial ritual for ancestors.

In foreign countries, Thanks giving Day is oriented from Christianity to thank God for giving harvest.

So, what people usually do during the Chuseok?

1. Visit ancestral graves after cutting the weeds

2. Perform ancestral rites for doing excellent farming with a thankful heart

3. Wish upon seeing the full moon.

The meanings of Chuseok food

1. Make Happy Future, Songpyeon:

Songpyeon is a signature food that should not miss in Chuseok Table.
It is unique that songpyeon has half-moon shaped that has ancestor’s intention to wish for the better future, instead of full moon shaped that can be seen during the Chuseok.

When they make songpyheon with half-moon shaped, ancestors wish our lives to be filled with happiness because as time goes half-moon becomes full moon.

2. Wish for peace in family, Tricolor Wild Greens (Samsaek-namul)

Samsaek-namul exemplified by balloon flower, bracken, and spinach is made of roots, stems, and leaves in regular sequence from balloon flower. In samsaek-namul, roots of balloon flower symbolize the ancestors, stems of bracken are parents, and leaves of spinach are myself. Therefore, eating samsaek-namul has been considered to have symbol of peace and health in family.

3. Sacred fruit for ancestors, pears

A pear with yellow peel and white inside has been regarded as a sacred fruit. In the Five Elements, Korea’s traditional philosophy, yellow indicates the center of universe and white symbolizes the white-clad race. Back to ancient times, putting pears in the Chuseok Table is for better future by offering a sacred fruit to ancestors.

4. Pray for descendant’s success and prosperity, jujube

The jujube has an unbelievable characteristic that one tree bears many fruits. Every single flower bears a fruit without wasting any flower, which means infinite prosperity. Putting jujube on the Chuseok Table for ancestors has been signified the wish for descendant’s success and flourish for a long time.

Days of other nations similar to Korean Chuseok