Seoul, 9 September 2022 (TDI): Chuseok or Hangawi celebration begins in South Korea. The event is celebrated to thank the heavens for the successful harvest of crops.
Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day, is just around the corner!😃
This year’s Chuseok is Saturday, September 10 with holiday period from September 9-12!😄
💠 Travel Highlights: https://t.co/AUU5yuv26F pic.twitter.com/DniWzooIK5— VisitKorea (@KoreanTravel) September 5, 2022
This year, the festival is taking place from the 9th to the 12th of September. Chuseok will mark the first major traditional holiday since the government lifted social distancing measures. Therefore many people will travel throughout the country to attend the festival.
Correspondingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport have designated the period from Friday to Monday as a special traffic-monitoring period, during which it won’t charge drivers expressway toll fees.
Moreover, about 30 million people will hit the road to be with their families during this time.
History of Chuseok
Chuseok originated as a result of a weaving competition held between two princesses in the Silla dynasty. The goal was to see which of their teams could weave the most cloth.
The fierce competition lasted for a month, ending on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar during the full moon. As punishment, the losing team had to prepare a bountiful feast for the victors.
Overview of Chuseok
In Korea, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month around the end of summer or beginning of autumn with the arrival of the full moon marks an important national festival called Chuseok, also known as Hangawi.
Chuseok is also traditionally celebrated to thank the heavens for a successful harvest and with this people also pray for successful harvests in the coming years too.
The importance of Chuseok lies in the harvest of rice. Farmers in Korea harvest rice, the most important food in Korea, only once, and that’s during Chuseok. During this time period of harvests, they pray for good weather.
Although Chuseok’s roots are largely agricultural, in present-day Korea the festival is a time for people to visit family, eat traditional food and make offerings to deceased ancestors.
During the three-day national holiday, many city-dwelling Koreans travel to their hometowns. Early each morning on those days, many families observe charye, a tea ritual held to pay respects to deceased ancestors.
Moreover, after setting up food on a raised platform, family members gather together to bow several times.
Additionally, Songpyeon rice cakes are also important during this time as they symbolize the sweetness of the future.
Although Chuseok is celebrated during a full moon, songpyeon is folded in a half-moon shape to symbolize the sweetness of the future even after the festival has passed.
Festivities during Chuseok
Koreans enjoy cultural activities during Chuseok. Ganggangsullae is a traditional folk dance that was initially performed to bring about a fruitful harvest.
It is a colorful routine that involves a group of women wearing Korea’s national dress, the hanbok. Meanwhile, the men take part in ssireum.
They compete in wrestling matches, aiming to pull any part of their opponent’s body above the knee to the ground.
This is achieved by latching onto the opponent’s satba, a belt wrapped around the participants’ waists and thighs. Overall, the people of South Korea celebrate the Festival with much excitement and joy.
