Often compared to the American Thanksgiving, the Chuseok Festival in Korea brings families together to celebrate and be thankful and to express respect for their ancestors. The festival is a time of happiness, with traditional plays, dancing, games and an abundance of food. It is celebrated in South Korea with enthusiasm and great fanfare. In North Korea, the celebration is low key due to governmental restrictions on travel and economic hardship.
The Chuseok Festival lasts for three days, on Chuseok Day and the days before and after. Originally called Hangawi, the celebration dates back to ancient times and takes place on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is full and bright. This falls sometime in September or October on our more familiar Gregorian calender.
One of the most important foods in the Chuseok celebration is songpyeon, a rice cake formed to hold sesame seeds, beans and other traditional ingredients. The small cakes are tinted pink, yellow or pale green, or are left white and steamed while sitting on a layer of pine needles. This gives the songpyeon a distinctive flavor.
The traditional Korean dance, the Ganggangsullae, is performed by children or by women in traditional silk clothing called Hanbok. The dance begins in a circle to singing by a specially appointed singer. The dancers move in a circle while holding hands and slowly form other shapes as the dance progresses. One movement involves two dancers who make a bridge with their hands while the dancers file through underneath. The circle of dancers sometimes becomes serpentine or separates into several smaller circles.
Many games are associated with the Chuseok celebration. Wrestling matches called Ssireum are held to determine the strongest man. Participants take part in archery contests and tug-of-war games. Martial arts displays and tightrope walking are a part of some celebrations. A swinging game involves competition to see who swings the highest. Another game uses a special see-saw to catapult a jumper who then turns somersaults or performs other tricks while in the air.
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