Chuseok is a traditional Korean holiday. Thanksgiving in korean

26.09.2019

The Chuseok holiday in Korea is one of the most beloved family traditional rituals, for which it is customary to gather with the older family members as a whole family, including relatives from other regions of the country. At the same time, you must definitely go to the cemetery, cook traditional dishes with the whole family, and remember the departed ancestors at the festive table.

The Korean holiday of Chuseok is Harvest Day, akin to Thanksgiving in the United States, but this tradition has its roots in ancient times, when the days were counted according to the lunar calendar. On harvest day, the largest moon appears in the sky. The holiday date falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month (September or October). She and the coming days "before and after" are considered days off. The holiday lasts 3 days.

Obligatory Chuseok rituals

Modern Koreans, especially young people, do not thoroughly follow traditions, for example, they do not wear national clothes, but most of the rituals are carried out, like many centuries ago, with practically no changes. On this day, it was customary to wear a new hanbok, now it has been replaced with ordinary clothes. Koreans sacredly respect traditions, especially solemn and family ones, therefore the Chuseok holiday is celebrated without exception with a large feast, sacrifice, ritual round dances and visits to the graves of ancestors.

Chkhare sacrifice ceremony

With the onset of the morning of the holiday, each family gathers at "Chkhara". The sacrifice in the form of traditional dishes (rice, rice cakes and this year's rice alcohol) is placed on the table. Unlike the New Year's sacrifice, tteokguk soup is not placed on the table. A ceremony of worshiping spirits is held, after which the whole family is treated to the gifts presented.

Cleaning the graves of the ancestors of "Songmyo"

Since on the Korean holiday Chuseok it is customary to remember deceased relatives and even distant ancestors, after the sacrifice and meal, Koreans go to the cemetery. They clean up burial sites, weed weeds, remove debris and leaves, and mow grass. The inhabitants of this country have such a great respect for previous generations that pilgrimages to cemeteries begin in a month.

Treat to deceased ancestors "Sunmyu"

This ritual is performed after mowing and harvesting. Families set the table with a festive treat consisting of meat, fruits, Sikh, and alcoholic beverages. You can see the similarity between the Russian custom of bringing food to the graves of deceased relatives and commemorating them, as if sharing a meal with them. Koreans bow to their deceased ancestors, then they also taste the food brought, remembering their ancestors.

Festive table at Chuseok

The dishes on the table on this holiday are quite varied and differ depending on the region and family preferences. However, a few dishes are a must on the Harvest Day menu, much like colored eggs on Easter. These menu items are present in every home and are prepared by all relatives who came to the holiday, both men and women.

"Songpyeong" crispbread- rice lumps of different shapes. Inside is the filling (chestnuts, sweet beans, sesame seeds). Rice dough is rolled out on boards covered with pine needles, which makes the crispbreads acquire the aroma of pine needles. Koreans are sure that the more beautiful the loaves are, the happier life will be, so they try to make them neat and attractive.

Jong cakes- a kind of pie with meat or fish. Pieces of filling are added to the dough and kneaded, sometimes red pepper or sesame seeds are added. This dish is slightly different in different regions of the country in terms of composition and baked goods.

Alcohol- the feast takes place with the obligatory presence of alcohol made from rice this year's harvest. This weak wine lends warmth to the conversations of relatives who have gathered together from different parts of the country. Some even come from abroad.

If your trip to South Korea falls on the Chuseok holiday, you will surely find yourself in a soulful, rewarding environment of ancestor respect and family fun. As large-scale events, you can watch the national wrestling competition sireum. This kind of sport is "sick" here from young to old.

On Harvest Day, competitions are held in every city. Sometimes they are held right on the street, and everyone can see the exciting spectacle. Previously, the winner received cloth, rice or a bull; today, the winners receive gifts and monetary awards. You can often see archery competitions.

Tourists are also attracted by the national custom to lead a round dance, associated with an ancient legend. Many Korean women, dressed in hanbok, lead round dances and perform folk tunes. This action is called "Kangan Sulla". There are several legends about the origin of this beautiful ritual.

But more often than not, Koreans will tell you a story that once under the emperor of the Li dynasty, a large enemy army attacked the country. Korean women, deciding to deceive the enemy and show that their army is also large, put on military armor, climbed a high mountain and began to dance in a round dance in the glow of the fire. The attackers thought it was a large camp of Korean soldiers and retreated.

Arriving at Chuseok in Korea, you need to remember that many museums, palaces, galleries and other cultural and historical attractions indicated in the guidebook may be closed, as it is a three-day weekend throughout the country. We advise you to familiarize yourself with their work schedule for this time.

Two days before the holiday, traffic jams begin in big cities, tickets for transport inside the country are sold out a month in advance. If you don't have time to see everything you wanted, don't be upset, in return you will receive an equally interesting, historically significant event that will help you get to know this beautiful country more.

One of the main Korean is Chuseok(Chuseok, 추석). It is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, that is, it has a "floating" date - fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month(falls on September-October).

Chuseok is harvest festival... Sometimes it is translated as "Thanksgiving Day" (the American trend, apparently), although, of course, it has nothing to do with the American holiday, but in fact it turns out right. Only the Koreans thank, of course, not the Indians, but the fertile land for the bountiful harvest.

Harvest Day is probably the oldest holiday celebrated by mankind. After all, what could be more joyful than the end of a heavy suffering and the end of the harvest of a bountiful harvest? Abundance is always pleasant, especially when the time for hard work is over. All peoples celebrated the harvest festival magnificently and widely, but not all of them have preserved this tradition to the present day.

Of course, nowadays few Koreans continue to work hard on the land, but Chuseok is especially prized in Korea for its tradition of family feasts. On this day, all Korean families strive to unite at the family table. Usually children come to the parental home from all over the country, together prepare food for the festive table, commemorate their ancestors.

During a festival in the royal palaces of Seoul (in

The culture of Korea - both South and North - is largely associated with the cult of ancestors. It is to this feature that Chuseok Day is dedicated, which combines the celebration of the new harvest and the tradition of commemorating the dead. Chuseok, along with Solall, the Korean New Year, is the country's main ceremonial holiday. Stroy Juche attempted to eradicate it, but the tradition was too important for Koreans.

history of the holiday

There is no fixed date for Chuseok. The holiday is held annually on different days - this is due to the peculiarities of the lunar calendar, which is used in Asia along with the European one.

Chuseok is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Typically, this date falls in the period from mid-August to mid-October. In 2018, harvest day will be celebrated on September 24th.

The exact version of the origin of the holiday is unknown. One of the versions goes back to the military traditions of Korea. Allegedly in antiquity, in the middle of autumn, warriors organized games and competitions with weapons, which are customary to hold in our time. However, to a greater extent, researchers are inclined to a version that goes back to the traditions of Korean shamanism.

In pagan times, there was a cult of the full moon in the country, which was associated with good luck and fertility.

During the mid-autumn celebrations, the peasants rejoiced at the new harvest, thanked their ancestors and asked them for good luck for the next agricultural year. Over time, Confucianism and Christianity spread in Korea, which supplanted shamanism, but the cult of honoring the dead remained.

Chuseok Day Traditions

Usually three days are given for the celebration. The second day is considered the main one, and the other two serve to prepare and return to business. This is due to the fact that on Chuseok it is customary to visit the graves of deceased relatives, to restore order in cemeteries, and the celebration itself is held in the homes of relatives. Therefore, before and after Chuseok is given on a free day, which usually go to the road.

Visiting the graves of ancestors and further ceremonies are held according to the traditional scheme. On the graves of ancestors on this day, it is necessary to remove old leaves and mow the grass. These actions are sometimes performed in advance, but on the day of the holiday it is not shameful to put things in order.

The next stage is similar to the Russian tradition of bringing food to the graves. Her offerings are accompanied by bows to the ground.

The third stage of the holiday takes place in the house, where a small altar is being erected in honor of the ancestors. Food is also brought to him, and they bow, expressing respect.

This tradition is closely intertwined with the foundations of Confucianism. It has taught Koreans to respect their elders for 700 years, which has left a significant imprint on the culture.

Festive table

In addition to songpyeons, unleavened boiled rice, traditional buckwheat noodle soup - kukusu, pickles from vegetables, including kimchi, fried and stewed meat, fish dishes - appear on the table. They usually drink traditional rice wine and vodka - makgeolli and soju.

Entertainment

After lunch, Koreans go out and hold mass festivities there. The two most popular entertainments are men's folk wrestling shirim and women's round dances kangan sulle. Previously, weaving competitions were popular, which in a certain time had to weave as much fabric as possible, but this tradition is a thing of the past.

Shirim is a traditional Korean martial arts that is held in pairs. Men must fight hand-to-hand until the opponent falls to the ground. By the principle of action, shirim is similar to sumo, but the rules do not indicate that the opponent needs to be pushed out of the circle.

Kangan sulle is a round dance in which young women and girls dance. It originates in the military dance, which in ancient times was used as a tactical trick.

According to legend, the girls of the village, in which all the men had already left to fight, dressed in military uniforms and went to the top of the hill. There they began to dance kangan sulle. From afar it seemed to the enemies that many soldiers had gathered there, and they did not attack the village.

Features of Celebration in North Korea

The socialist construction of life has left an imprint on folk traditions. In the 60s and 80s, the authorities fought Chuseok and Solall as holidays of Chinese origin. However, over time, the confrontation turned into a kind of advertising, and the traditions began to be presented as originally Korean.

However, the political holidays became the main ones in the country - the birthdays of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Folk traditions could compete with them, so the festivities gradually began to be transferred to a more modest status.

Unlike South Korea, North Korea places the emphasis not on fun, but on the solemn side of veneration. In addition, residents cannot move freely around the country, so it can be difficult to visit distant relatives and ancestors' graves.

In the northern part of the peninsula, there is a tradition to bring money to the graves on the day of Chuseok - 55 or 555 won. In Korean, the number "five" is consonant with the word "arrive," so it is believed that such monetary coaxing of relatives will lead to future profits.

Good day, friends)

Today I will tell you about one of the most important Korean holidays - about Chusk. The very name "Chuseok" literally translates as "autumn evening" This holiday of harvest and commemoration of ancestors is really celebrated in the fall. But since the significant day for Koreans is tied to the lunar calendar, the holiday falls on different dates every year.

How did Chuseok come about?

The founder of this holiday was a wise Korean ruler named Yuri-isygama, who lived in 25-56 AD. One day on the eve of the day of remembrance of the dead, he came up with the idea of organizing a competition among weavers, spinning wheels and seamstresses to determine the most skilled of them. The winners were determined on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month of Hingawi, which falls on modern September-October. As a result, the craftswomen received well-deserved awards, their work went to people who were engaged in gardening and horticulture. And the ruler liked the idea of holding such a competition so much that he decided to celebrate a holiday called Chuseok on this day.

There is also a legend about a young man who had a vision of a dead mother. He saw a mother suffering from hunger in the afterlife. The resourceful son bought a lot of food, but his late mother, who came to him, could not taste it. Every time she approached the food, it burned. He turned to a Buddhist priest for advice. He said that his mother was suffering for worldly sins and only a generous offering to Buddha could help her. Then the son organized a magnificent memorial ceremony and not only satisfied the mother's hunger, but also freed her spirit.

Traditions

How do Koreans celebrate this holiday? I must say that preparation for it begins a couple of weeks before the date itself. Koreans are starting to buy food (there is a real Babylonian pandemonium in supermarkets), as well as buying train or plane tickets. The fact is that this weekend all people go to visit their parents to spend this holiday with them, and also visit the graves of their ancestors, traditionally located in the mountains. Therefore, it is very important to take care of buying tickets in advance.

Since everyone on Chuseok thanks their ancestors for the new harvest, the dishes that Koreans very often prepare themselves on this day (although there is a huge assortment of all kinds of dishes in stores) are prepared from this year's products. There is one dish that is certainly present on the festive table - it is chicken, cooked in a special way. However, I suggest you learn more about another dish. The main delicacy during Chuseok is songpyeong pies made of white or green rice dough in the shape of a crescent. They usually start with a sweet filling of red or white beans, chestnuts, or dates. Interestingly, these pies are steamed along with pine needles to add flavor. And even more interesting is that pregnant women are guessing at them. In one of the pies (they mark it in advance in order to avoid unpleasant surprises :) they put a pine needle. If you bite a pie, you will first see the tip of a needle - you will have a son, if the base is a daughter.

(photo - http://geo.1september.ru/2002/07/7.htm) I promise you, as soon as I recover, I'll take a closer look at the songpyeong pies :)

It should be noted that food is intended not only for the living, but also for the dead. On this day, Koreans, as I said, go to the mountains (they often do not visit the graves and disturb the souls of the dead) and bring some kind of gifts to their deceased ancestors, and at the same time put the graves in order. As I wrote during my first trip to Korea, Koreans have a cult of burial. Surprisingly, these advanced in many respects people consult with a fortuneteller about the burial place. Since it is believed that the better you bury your ancestors, the better for you and for them. Such are the sons of deference)

(pictured is one of the national games that can now be played in museums)

But back to Chusk :) On this day, special attention is paid to entertainment. Adults and children enjoy playing a wide variety of games. Korean kids take a special pleasure in flying kites of various designs into the sky. Also, a dance called kankansulle is especially popular these days. They say that this dance appeared during the war between Japan and Korea, namely after the commander Son-Shin defeated the enemy due to a tactical move invented by him. He ordered the women to put on men's uniforms and surround the mountain on which the enemy's camp was located. Thus, Son-Shin misled the enemy regarding the size of the Korean army. Now women, dancing kankansulle, also walk in a circle, holding hands and singing "Kankansulle-kankansulle". With only one difference, now they are dressed in beautiful national costumes.

Hope you found it interesting;)

Based on materials from sites:

http://lib.aldebaran.ru/author/_light_smoke_aka_dym/_light_smoke_aka_dym_dnevnik_moskovskogo_padonka/

http://blog.busines-men.ru/?p=1925

http://www.infokorea.ru/seasons/autumn/chusok.php

http://www.wikipedia.org

Have a nice weekend!

Chuseok (추석) is one of the main holidays for Koreans October 4th, 2017

Chuseok (추석) is one of the main holidays among Koreans. The very name "Chuseok" literally translates as "autumn evening" This holiday of harvesting and commemoration of ancestors is celebrated in the fall. To be more precise, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Holidays in Korea are considered the day before and after the holiday. Chuseok is a kind of Thanksgiving Day.

According to legend, the founder of this holiday was a Korean ruler named Yuri-isygama, who lived in 25-56 AD. One day on the eve of the day of remembrance of the dead, he came up with the idea of organizing a competition among weavers, spinning wheels and seamstresses to determine the most skilled of them. The winners were determined on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. As a result, the craftswomen received well-deserved awards, their work went to people who were engaged in gardening and horticulture. And the ruler liked the idea of holding the competition so much that he decided to celebrate a holiday called Chuseok on this day.

On a holiday, in the morning, the table is set early - if the grave of a relative is nearby. If the cemetery is far away, food is brought there.

On the eve of the holiday, sheaves of cereals are usually hung on the pillars and walls of houses - so that next year the grain will be harvested. After the holiday, Koreans do not take off these "decorations" - this is a gift to the spirits, and no matter how meager the harvest, this sheaf will remain intact.

In the evening, women put a cup of water scooped up at dawn behind the hearth for the guardian spirit of the kitchen who lives under the stove. Do not forget about the brownie. Otherwise, it is impossible - he runs the welfare of the house and you need to treat him with all your heart.

The main delicacy is songpyeong pies made of white or green rice dough in the shape of a crescent. They usually start with a sweet filling of red or white beans, chestnuts, or dates. Interestingly, these pies are steamed along with pine needles to add flavor. And even more interesting is that pregnant women are guessing at them. In one of the pies (they mark it in advance in order to avoid unpleasant surprises :) they put a pine needle. If you bite a pie, you will first see the tip of a needle - you will have a son, if the base is a daughter.

On this day, special attention is paid to entertainment. Children with special pleasure fly kites of various designs into the sky. Also, a dance called kankansulle is especially popular these days. They say that this dance appeared during the war between Japan and Korea, namely after the commander Son-Shin defeated the enemy due to a tactical move invented by him. He ordered the women to put on men's uniforms and surround the mountain on which the enemy's camp was located. Thus, Son-Shin misled the enemy regarding the size of the Korean army. Now women, dancing, also walk in circles, holding hands and singing. With only one difference, now they are dressed in beautiful national costumes.

Of course, the lives of Koreans have changed more in the past hundred years than in the previous two millennia. And although some old customs seem strange to the new generation, many things in Korea have remained unchanged. And first of all - reverence for ancestors, as well as a great desire to convey to distant descendants all the beauty of ancient rituals and holidays.

It should be noted that among our diaspora, Chuseok is acquiring the necessary flavor more and more, and now more and more often this ancient holiday is celebrated by the Koreans of the CIS.

Songpyeong recipe:

First, clean the harvested pine needles, lightly boil in boiling water and dry in the shade. After sifting rice flour through a sieve, make choux pastry. Grind the angular beans and keep them in water at a temperature of 30 ° C for 4 - 5 hours. Peel the beans and boil them in a suitable amount of water. Add granulated sugar and salt, crush in a hand-made mortar and make the filling.

Tear off a piece the size of a chestnut from the choux pastry, twisting with the index and thumbs of the left and right hands, roll it out in the form of a cake. After applying the filling, mold the edges of the cake in the form of a crescent so that they are slightly sharp. Having pushed the bottom of the sira with peeled pine needles, put a layer of songpyeong.

In the same way, fill shira songpyeong, laying each layer of pine needles, and soar. When steam comes up, cook over low heat. Then rinse them 2 - 3 times in cold water and remove moisture. That being said, it is important to change the cold water frequently to keep the songpyeong smooth. Then spread the chilled songpyeong with sesame or condensed butter.

Perhaps now in your families it will not be difficult to prepare songpyeon using this method. The crescent-shaped, sticky white songpyeongs are considered to be the best of the tteok, paired with the sweet filling of various beans and the pleasant aroma of pine needles.

I wish you Chuseok Day, while having fun, enjoy delicious songpyeong prepared by caring housewives and admire the round moon in the night sky.