Changes of Korea’s Holiday Chu-Seok

Korea’s biggest traditional holiday, “Chu-Seok” is the fifteenth of August in lunar calendar. In Chu-Seok, which is similar to thanksgiving in American, Koreans give thanks to their paternal ancestors about good harvest for a year. Chu-Seok has evolved over three distinct periods : the ancient age, the middle age, and the present.

In 32 B.C, Chu-Seok was started by King Yuri who was the sixth king of the Silla kingdom. King Yuri made two princesses lead each team of women in weaving races from the sixteenth of July to the fifteenth of August in lunar calendar. Chu-Seok was also called Ga-Bea and Han-Ga-Wi at that time that had similar pronunciations to ‘weaving’ in Korean. After competition during a month, losers had to offer lots of foods and drinks to winners and then they enjoyed a festival together with dancing and singing under big full moon. That festival was the origin of Chu-Seok.

In middle age in Korea, there were a lot of customs and folk games to celebrate Chu-Seok. The most significant ceremony, Cha-Rea, was for ancestors to appreciate, successful harvest by serving an abundant meal with new crops and fruits in the morning of Chu-Seok. For the ceremony, people used to prepare for new annual clothes and bow politely to paternal side ancestor’s tablets. People also visited their ancestral graves to remember in order to pay paternal ancestors respects. At night, watching a big full moon, people made their wishes. Especially young women played Gang-Gang-Sulae, which was a folk dance made a big circle by hand in hand and went around with singing, under the moon. In addition, farmers enjoyed a lot of outdoor folk games together to congratulate a good harvest. For example, all generation of people enjoyed a bull fight, which was a contest of strength between bulls, a tug of war and a folk music performance.

Nowadays, Chu-Seok is a major national holiday in Korea that remains some customs. Cha-Rea still survives through hundreds of years, so people wear a traditional costume, Han-Bok, and give thanks to their ancestors. Though many folk games have disappeared or are maintained only in the countryside, some folk games are performed at home such as Yut game, which is a traditional board game using four wooden sticks. A distinguishing Chu-Seok food is Song-Pyeon, a half moon – shaped rice cake that has honey, sesame seeds, or minced beans inside. According to a popular tradition, young woman who can make a pretty and delicious looking Song-Pyeon will also get married well. In modern times, family members are smaller than middle age’s, so Chu-Seok is an unusual chance of gathering whole family members who live apart. During three days as a national holiday, most people spend good time with family but some people just rest from their work.

For a long time, some features of Korean holiday Chu-Seok have been changed and some have been remained. In ancient times, Chu-Seok began in relation to ‘weaving’ and then almost customs of Chu-Seok were added in the middle ages. Now although some customs have disappeared, Chu-Seok still exists as a major holiday in Korea.