When will Chuseok Be Celebrated in 2023? – Chuseok, known as Hangawi, is an elaborate mid-autumn harvest festival celebrated in South Korea for three days, coinciding with the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, marked by the full moon.
When will Chuseok Be Celebrated in 2023?
In 2023, Chuseok was celebrated from Thursday, September 28, 2023, to Saturday, September 30, 2023.
This festivity, translating to “autumn evening,” is a time when Koreans engage in ancestral traditions. Individuals journey to their ancestral hometowns, coming together for a feast featuring a variety of traditional Korean foods such as songpyeon, yakgwa, fruits like Asian pear and hallabong, and rice wines like sindoju and dongdongju.
The celebration encompasses two central traditions: Charye, involving ancestor memorial services (Jesa), and Seongmyo, a family visitation to ancestral graves, often coupled with Beolcho, the practice of tidying graves.
An integral part of the festival’s customs is the preparation of the family’s ancestors’ favorite meals, presented as offerings in a symbol of respect and remembrance. Chuseok’s historical origin can be traced to gabae, a weaving competition during the Silla kingdom, where victorious teams were treated to a feast.
Moreover, scholars propose that the festival may have evolved from ancient shamanistic celebrations centered around the harvest moon. In this context, newly harvested crops are offered to local deities and ancestors, suggesting that Chuseok may have originated as a form of worship ritual tied to the agricultural cycle.
The festival’s observance is closely connected to the region’s harvest, and in areas where there is no annual harvest, or if harvests are delayed, Chuseok celebrations may be postponed or not held, emphasizing the festival’s deep-rooted association with agrarian practices.
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