Hey K-pop fans! Did you know that September 15th is the Korean national holiday Chuseok? All your favorite K-pop stars and idols will be celebrating this traditional holiday soon and you won’t want to miss it! If you’re not familiar with Chuseok, here’s some information and background on the Korean celebration!
Chuseok, also known as hangawi, is a harvest festival and three day celebration in Korea. Celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar calendar, Chuseok is said to be a tradition thousands of years old. According to most, Chuseok initially began as gabae, a month long weaving contest between two teams, where the losing team would treat the winning team to a feast. As time went on, gabae began including more and more competitions such as archery and martial arts demonstrations. Gabae continued to grow and eventually became to be called Chuseok. Today’s Chuseok, however, is different. Unlike gabae, which is a competition, Chuseok is a celebration to honor and give thanks to the ancestors and deities for great harvest. Families, as much as half the population of South Korea, will travel back to their hometowns from big cities such as Seoul, to give thanks and prayers during Chuseok. Families would also clean their houses thoroughly in time for the celebration.
Also specific to Chuseok are the foods and games played. One famous dish commonly served during Chuseok is Songpyeon, a traditional rice cake often filled with stuffing such as mung beans, honey, sesame, and a variety of nuts. Games are also played, and like gabae, competitions are still held and celebrated.
The best part to us K-pop fans are the hanboks! During this time of the year, we get to see our favorite K-pop stars and biases wear hanboks and look truly Korean.
Chuseok is one of Korea’s most important holidays. This is just a brief explanation on the celebration, but if you’d like to know more, feel free to ask us! Stay tuned to our channel and website and we will surely continue to inform you K-pop fans more on Korean culture and not just K-pop news!