Korean Mid-Autumn Festival - What's Special About Chuseok?

The Korean Mid-Autumn Festival is known as one of the three major holidays in the land of kimchi. During this time, Koreans take an extended break to celebrate the festival with unique traditional customs. Let's explore what makes traveling during the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival so fascinating!

1. Origins and Significance of the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival

Many people still wonder if Korea celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival. In fact, the Mid-Autumn Festival, known as Chuseok, is considered one of the three biggest traditional holidays in Korea. Since ancient times, the month of August has been the harvest season for Koreans after a busy and hardworking year of farming. Therefore, they have organized grand festivals to celebrate a bountiful harvest and offer gratitude to the spirits while praying for a good upcoming harvest.

According to another legend, during the time of Gabae, King Yuri Isageum of the Silla Kingdom organized a weaving competition for young girls in the capital city on the 15th day of the 8th month. The team that wove the most would enjoy a lavish feast, while the losing teams had to perform dances and prepare food. From that time on, Chuseok became a time for enjoyment and relaxation for the Korean people.

In terms of significance, the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival takes place from the 14th to the 16th day of the 8th lunar month every year, allowing everyone to reunite with their families. If you visit Korea during this time, you'll experience the festive atmosphere and the bustling traffic as people from the city return to the countryside to celebrate the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival.

Does Korea Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival?

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for Koreans to rest and celebrate after the bountiful harvest season.

>> View more:Where to go for the Mid-Autumn Festival? 9 recommended destinations

2. What Do Koreans Do on Chuseok?

Apart from gathering with their families for a meal, the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival is also a time for the people of the land of kimchi to organize and participate in various traditional activities together. Specifically:

2.1. Ancestral Rituals (Charye Ceremony)

To show their reverence for their ancestors, families gather at the main house (where the ancestral altar is located) on the morning of the first day of Chuseok. The ceremonial feast includes dishes made from newly harvested rice (Mebap), traditional liquor (Baekju), and mooncakes (Songpyeon). After the ritual, everyone enjoys the offerings together.

2.2. Beolcho and Seongmyo Ceremonies

While Vietnam has the tradition of grave-tending during the Qingming Festival, Koreans perform Beolcho and Seongmyo ceremonies on Chuseok to show their respect and gratitude to their ancestors. On the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival, families clean and tidy up their ancestral graves. They then prepare an offering table with grains, fruits, and newly harvested produce to present to their ancestors and pray for blessings in life.

2.3. Hanging Dried Grains at the Door (Olgemini)

After the harvest season, Koreans select the finest bundles of grains (including rice, barley, and beans) to hang on a pole in front of their homes. They also prepare traditional drinks and dishes to invite neighbors to join in the celebration with their family.

These bundles of dried grains are used for ancestral offerings, sowing seeds for the next year, or serving honored guests. The tradition of hanging dried grains at the door during Chuseok signifies the cyclical nature of the land and sky, celebrating the recent harvest and hoping for a bountiful season ahead.

2.4. Playing Traditional Games

The Korean Mid-Autumn Festival is an occasion for people to organize traditional games specific to each region. Some popular ones include:

Wrestling (Ssireum): Held on a grass field, this competition is for strong young men, with prizes like rice, fabric, or a calf.
Taekkyon: A game that was popular during the Joseon period and is one of Korea's ancient martial arts. Competitions are held between players from different villages, where they try to defeat their opponents using kicks, sweeps, and pushes. Matches start with children (Aegi Taekkyon) before concluding with adults. Though nearly extinct, UNESCO recognized this game as an intangible cultural heritage in 2011.
Circle Dance (Ganggangsullae): Women dressed in Hanbok attire dance and sing together.
Tug-of-War (Juldarigi): Involving participants of all ages, this game fosters unity among people in the community.
Additionally, during this time, people may dress up as turtles or cows and roam the villages singing Nongak songs to attract good luck and ward off evil spirits.

>> View more: Explore Korean New Year - Seollal: 4 things you may not know.

3. Traditional Foods during the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival

After addressing the question of whether Korea celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival, you must be curious about what people in the land of kimchi typically eat on this important occasion.

3.1. Songpyeon - Crescent Moon Cakes

On the night before the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival, families come together to make Songpyeon, which is made primarily from newly harvested rice flour. Songpyeon is prepared by kneading the dough with various ingredients such as sesame seeds, pine nuts, green beans, sweet potatoes, jujubes, cinnamon powder, honey, and chestnuts. Subsequently, they steam the Songpyeon with pine leaves to impart a refreshing taste to the cakes. These crescent moon-shaped Songpyeon are crafted with love and hope to bring a bright future to everyone in the family.

3.2. Hangwa

When talking about traditional foods during the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival, one cannot overlook Hangwa, made from rice flour, fruits, honey, and plant roots to achieve natural colors. Hangwa, rich in nutrients, is not only consumed during Chuseok but also on various special occasions throughout the year.

Hangwa cakes are consumed by Koreans during Chuseok and other occasions throughout the year.

3.3. Toranguk - Potato Soup

In Chinese, potato soup is also known as "thổ noãn" (underground eggs). To prepare Toranguk, Koreans boil potatoes through rice water or saltwater to reduce their stickiness. Then, they add potatoes to a pot with beef tendons or beef shanks to create a flavorful and nutritious Toranguk soup for the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival.

3.4. Baekju - White Liquor

Koreans often gather around feasting tables during Chuseok, so alcoholic beverages are indispensable. Besides Soju, Baekju (White Liquor) - a traditional distilled liquor made from freshly harvested glutinous rice - is also enjoyed by many Koreans as they reunite during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Baekju White Liquor is an essential beverage on the Chuseok feast table for Koreans.

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To experience the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival firsthand, you can book a flight to the "Land of Kimchi" today. Vietjet offers a variety of flights from Vietnam to Korea. Visit Vietjet's flight booking page to discover the best flight options every day.

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