Chuseok

Categories:: Cultural
Tags:: Appreciation Festivities
Where:: South Korea
Date change rule:: 15th of the 8th lunar month (September–October)
Holiday emoji:: 🌾

Chuseok, also known as Korean Thanksgiving, brings families together every 15th of the 8th lunar month. This important festival is a time for honoring ancestors, sharing bountiful feasts, and expressing gratitude for the harvest. Gather your loved ones, prepare traditional dishes, and embrace the spirit of appreciation.

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Expected Chuseok Deals

As Chuseok approaches, families prepare for traditional gatherings and gift-giving. While specific 2027 promotions are yet to be announced, expect deals from Korean grocery stores like H Mart and Lotte Plaza Market on ingredients for dishes like songpyeon and japchae. Retailers such as Amazon and eBay often feature discounts on Korean beauty products, K-pop merchandise, and traditional crafts. Travel agencies, including Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, may offer special fares for those visiting family in South Korea. Look for gift sets from brands like Sulwhasoo (Korean skincare) and gourmet food baskets from specialty shops. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as September 17 approaches.

Platform Guide for Chuseok

Instagram

Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #Chuseok. Share photos of your family’s Chuseok feast, traditional attire, or ancestral rites.

Facebook

Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #Chuseok. Connect with others by sharing family stories and favorite Chuseok traditions.

TikTok

Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #Chuseok. Film short videos of making songpyeon, playing traditional games, or showing off your holiday preparations.

Chuseok Hero

King Yuri

King Yuri (reigned 18 BCE–18 CE), the second monarch of Goguryeo, is often credited with initiating the tradition of Chuseok. Legend has it that he organized a weaving competition between two teams, with the losing team having to prepare a feast for the winners. This event, held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, is considered by many to be the historical precursor to Chuseok's feasting traditions.

History of Chuseok

Korea was initially an agricultural society. During the harvest season, they would worship the full moon, giving thanks for a plentiful harvest. The women in each family would prepare a table full of newly harvested rice and fruit, in an ancient tradition called ‘charye.’ The origins of Chuseok can be traced back to this custom.

However, Korean legends tell a different story. According to one such legend, Chuseok found its origins in a weaving competition between two princesses from the Silla dynasty. The two royals were tasked with creating cloth and the one who could weave the most would win the competition. The losing side would also have to prepare a feast for the victor. This competition lasted for a whole month, culminating on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar during the full moon. As the story goes, multiple archery and martial arts competitions were also held as a part of the celebrations, explaining how this tradition came to be a part of the festivities.

Another legend tells the tale of Silla’s defeat of its rival country, Baekje. The Baekje king found a turtle with odd markings on its shell, which his advisers took to mean “Baekje full moon, Silla half-moon”. They interpreted this to mean that the kingdom of Baekje would fall and the Silla dynasty would rise and, hence, we see continuing importance being given to the moon during festivities, even to this day. On the other hand, some scholars believe Chuseok was actually adapted from ancient shamanistic rituals involving the harvest moon and its worship.

Chuseok timeline

57 B.C. – 935 A.D.

The Legends Originate

Multiple legends credit the Silla or Shilla dynasty as a possible cause for the Chuseok festival.

1960s

New Gifting Traditions Begin

Korean people start sharing daily necessities like soap and condiments as Chuseok gifts.

Mid-1980s

North Korea Gets In

The ideology that divided Korea also differentiated their celebrations; it was only from this period that North Korea started celebrating Chuseok, too.

21st century

Gifting is Modernized

Gift sets are more extravagant now than ever before and gifting is now a big business in Korea.

Chuseok FAQs

When is Chuseok?

Chuseok 2026 falls on Friday, September 25. This major harvest festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, a time for families to gather and give thanks.

What is the main purpose of Chuseok?

Chuseok is a time for families to gather and celebrate the autumn harvest, giving thanks to their ancestors for a bountiful year. It’s deeply rooted in agricultural traditions and filial piety.

What traditional foods are eaten during Chuseok?

The most iconic Chuseok food is songpyeon, small half-moon-shaped rice cakes filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, or red beans. Other popular dishes include japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), bulgogi, and various jeon (savory pancakes).

How is Chuseok celebrated?

Chuseok celebrations typically involve traveling to one’s hometown to visit family, performing ancestral rites (charye), and visiting ancestral graves (seongmyo) to clean them and offer food. Traditional folk games like ssireum (Korean wrestling) and ganggangsullae (circle dance) are also popular.

Chuseok Activities

Visit your deceased loved ones
Chuseok celebrations also include Koreans spending time honoring their ancestors, holding ancestor memorial services (‘Charye’), and visiting family graves (‘Seongmyo’). You too could use this time to remember the loved ones who are not with you anymore. Plan a quick visit to their memorial sites, or revisit special memories of the deceased.
Spend time with family
Like the American Thanksgiving, the Chuseok tradition mainly involves spending time with family, both immediate and extended. Celebrate this holiday with your loved ones and families, but make sure to plan ahead in case you are traveling, as this holiday usually falls on the weekend.
Cook a traditional Korean dish like ‘Jeon’
Whip up a scrumptious batch of Korean pancakes or ‘Jeon,’ which are made by slicing up fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables, and frying them in a batter of flour and eggs. This dish tastes the best with a dip made of soy sauce and vinegar or traditional Korean beer if you can get your hands on some.

5 Incredible Facts About Chuseok

Korean Thanksgiving is also about food
A large part of the Harvest Moon Festival traditions includes food — preparation and consumption — especially traditional dishes that are 'offerings' to ancestors.
The traffic is insane
To reach their families, over half the Korean population takes to the roads, causing one of the biggest traffic jams of the year.
No food, no festival
The universal rule is no food, no party.
Eat, pray, and play!
After a big meal, rather than resting, people get up and participate in activities.
The ‘Ganggangsullae’ Dance
This traditional dance is performed by women under the bright moon for a bountiful harvest.

Why We Love Chuseok

It’s another day to cherish our families
We can never get enough of these special days dedicated to celebrating the bonds of family. We love any excuse to come together to share a meal and stories, whether physically or virtually.
Seeing the similarities and embracing the cultural differences
While Chuseok bears multiple similarities to Thanksgiving and various harvest festivals, its celebrations are unique to Korea. Every time we learn about ‘Songpyeon,’ a traditional Korean rice cake, or watch ‘Ssireum,’ a traditional wrestling sport, our horizons and cultural boundaries expand even more.
Learn about new traditions
Every festival brings with it its own cultural flavor in the form of stories, games, dances, and even music. Chuseok is no different. Games like ‘juldarigi’ or tug of war, and 'Ssireum' or Korean wrestling are a gateway into new experiences.