Chuseok is the name of a festival in the middle of autumn in Korea. Chuseok continues from 20th Sep to 22 Sep in Korea. Not only Koreans are celebrating this festival. Also China, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, and also even North Korea!!! Actually, it originated in China. They are celebrating the full moon. A long long long time ago, the full moon was a grateful existence. When there was no light, it was dangerous because it was impossible to see the attack of wild beasts or enemies at night. When the full moon rises, they can see and that’s why people celebrate the full moon.
In Korea, they meet extended family and celebrate together. They eat a rice cake called SongPyeon that has sugar and sesame in it. For a long time, they have been doing Ganggangsullae which is spinning around the full moon with holding hands.
In China, they eat Mooncakes with their neighbors. They meet extended family, too. Some people have parades with dragon masks on. They watch the full moon with their friends or families. This festival is the second biggest celebration in China.
There are many similar holidays in the world. Chuseok is often called In Korean Thanksgiving. This holiday is very similar to US Thanksgiving. And there are more similar holidays in the world. In China, there is a holiday called, The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节Zhōngqiū jié). It’s on Thursday, 21 September and it celebrates the success of harvesting rice and foods at night with the full moon. And in the UK, there is a holiday called London Harvest Festival. It’s on the 19th of September and they sing and pray in the church and decorate baskets of food.
Most Koreans in AES are celebrating Chuseok, but it’s limited. Some people make the Songpyeon by themselves and some people get it from their company. Companies usually take care of Korean holidays. They also receive Songpyeon from their church that Koreans own. They also do Ganggangsullae, but usually, most people don't do it. Some people care about Chuseok, but not every Korean thinks that Chuseok is an important festival to celebrate in India.
Now the mid-autumn festival has become famous. So many countries celebrate the mid-autumn festival. But most Korean students don’t know how this celebration began, or the history of this festival. And also there are many similar festivals to Chuseok like Pongal(India), Action de grâce(Canada), The Mid-Autumn Festival(China), etc. And they also celebrate in similar ways. Chuseok is an important festival to Koreans and will never be forgotten.
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