Korea's Mega-holiday: Chuseok

There are two big holidays in Korea: Chuseok and Seolnal

. Seolnal is the Lunar New Year celebration, while Chuseok, which is happening this week, is the harvest festival. There are many things for you to do during this holiday, many customs to observe, foods to eat, and things to expect. To get yourself ready for this holiday, here are a few things you need to know:

1) Consider this somewhat equivalent to North America's Thanksgiving, even though this holiday has been around much, much longer. Families get together to enjoy the bountiful harvest with a smorgasbord of food. On that note, stay away from the supermarkets the week before Chuseok, unless you want to see some of the biggest lines you've ever been in!

2) The food here isn't the same as a Thanksgiving in North America. There's no turkey here, but there is a food that is just as important to the holiday. It's called songpyeon. It's a small and sweet rice cake, and it's closest equivalent, I think, is to a sweet perogie. Songpyeon is oftentimes filled with either a sweet red bean paste or a honey and sesame seed mixture. Altogether, it's absolutely delicious!

3) I warned you about going shopping the week before. Here's a more important warning: the couple of days before or after Chuseok are terrible to drive in. Terrible! What usually takes three hours to drive can take you anywhere between 12 to 24 hours. Everyone is leaving the city to visit their hometowns and families. Stay off the highways if you can!

Of course, there is a lot more that Chuseok has to offer. There are lots of games meant to be played only during Chuseok, along with a wealth of customs and traditions only observed at this time. Hope you have a Happy Holidays!

by: Simon Stawski

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