Korean National Holiday Chuseok is coming!
Hi, guys! How are you guys doing?
It's the autumn season in Korea!
And today I will be talking about the upcoming national holiday Chuseok :)
Chuseok
Chuseok is the equivalent holiday of Thanksgiving in Korea. It is defined as the moon in the middle of autumn and also the day in the middle of August. Literally, it means autumn night; the moonlight of autumn is the best night. Therefore, we say that it’s a good holiday with an exceptionally bright moon.
It is a national holiday in Korea and it’s also where many people take breaks from their work, school, and more. Koreans make a “huge movement” as they leave their place and go to other parts of the cities for a big family gathering.
For people in Korea, it is a time where they come together with their families and spend the holiday playing games, making and eating delicious food. Nowadays, many people don’t gather as much as they did in the past but there are still many families that meet and spend precious time together.
Q) Do you wear any special clothes for this occasion?
Yes. It’s not mandatory but many people wear the Korean traditional costume Hanbok. Have you guys ever seen or heard of Hanbok? It’s a beautifully made attire with vibrant colors and graceful shapes. In the past, it was people’s normal attire which they wore every day. However, nowadays we only wear Hanbok on special occasions.
As you can see in the picture men’s Hanbok consists of a vest, a top jacket (jeogori), and a pair of pants. On the other hand, women’s Hanbok includes a top jacket (jeogori), underskirt, skirt, and a pair of pantaloons.
Traditionally, people wear Hanbok to celebrate Chuseok or any special occasion but today many people tend to wear comfy clothes.
Q)Is there any special food for this holiday?
YES! People actually make the dishes and eat them. The main dishes are Jeon (fried pancakes), Japchae (glass noodles), and Songpyeon (rice cake),
☝Jeon
This is a fried pancake in Korea. We fry a lot of ingredients with pancake flour. Some fish, ham, pepper, sesame leaves, tofu, and more. Of all Jeons, my favorite one is the sweet potato Jeon which tastes sweet and is very crispy. I would always pick some Jeon and eat it while my mom fries them. It is so delicious and I recommend that you taste all Jeon when you visit Korea!
☝Japchae
This dish is stir-fried noodles using glass noodles. There are many ingredients in the dish such as sliced beef, spinach, mushroom, egg, onion, and more. Mostly, the ingredients in Japchae depend on the cookers’ preference. Along with these ingredients, Korean soy sauce mixed with garlic, sesame oil, and sugar is always seasoned with glass noodles. Therefore, when you try Japchae you will taste the sweetness and a bit of saltiness as well. This dish is one of my favorite dishes not only for Chuseok but for general meals. I usually eat it with rice and it is marvelous!
☝Songpyeon
Songpyeon is like a dessert to Koreans. It’s a traditional food that is made of rice powder. You guys know rice cake, right? Songpyeon is a rice cake with sweet or semi-sweet fillings inside. For instance, some people put cowpeas, dates, red beans, and soybeans. After making them into half-moon shapes, we steam Songpyeon over a layer of pine needles. This is because it gives a distinctive taste and the smell of pine trees. The word Songpyeon is translated into “pine cakes”.
Songpyeon also represents the moon and wishes. This is why when I was young I used to make wishes while making and eating Songpyeon with my family. Due to the busy society today, many people including my family (J) buy already-made Songpyeon because they take too much time to make and cook. The already-made ones also taste great. I definitely recommend trying one when you come to Korea. If you come during Chuseok holidays, you will most likely find them in many stores.
Q)What game do you play?
We play Korean traditional games during Chuseok. One of the representative traditional Korean games is called Yut Nori. This is a board game with the use of four Yut sticks (wooden sticks) and playing pieces. To play this game, you need to know the special rules. If you are interested and want to know more about it, contact me and I will help you play the game ;) There are online games for Yut nori as well so please do try them!
There are other games as well such as talchum (mask dance), samulnori (the traditional percussion quartet and ssireum (the traditional Korean wrestling), and more.
Among all these traditions, my favorite part of Chuseok is the gift money. This is where elderly people give money to younger people. Usually, we would get the gift money in an envelope. It always makes me happy when I receive the gift money but my mom always took them while saying, “I will give them back to you when you become a bit older”. But the thing is, I never got them back… Anyways, I like money gift time and I always never forget to say thank you to my family.
These were all about the Korean national holiday Chuseok. From today I am also going to be taking a long~ break and I hope you guys all! Have a great happy Chuseok!💓
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