Festival in Korea

Chuseok Festival
by Anisya Septia Ayucahyani

Chuseok, also known as Korean Thanksgiving

Day, is one of the most important and festive holidays
of the year. This year, Chuseok falls on Thursday,
September 19th, but the holiday period actually lasts
for three days in total – including the day before and
after Chuseok. Traditionally, Koreans return to their
ancestral hometowns to celebrate with their families,
causing one of the biggest traffic jams of the year as
people often take to the road to reach the provinces
outside of Seoul.
The origins of Chuseok can be traced back to
Korea’s past as an agrarian society. Chuseok is also known as Hangawi, which means the
15th day of August, according to the lunar calendar. On this day, a full harvest moon
appeared in the sky and families gathered to enjoy time together and give thanks to their
ancestors for the plentiful harvest. The women of the family also prepared an ancestral
memorial ceremony called charye by filling a table with food including newly harvested rice
and fruit.
Koreans celebrate Chuseok by making special foods, particularly a certain kind of rice
cake called songpyeon. Songpyeon is made with finely ground new rice and the dough is
kneaded into small round shapes and filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, red beans, or other
similar ingredients. The rice cakes are arranged upon layers of pine needles as they are
steamed, filling the home with the delicate and fresh fragrance of autumn. On the eve of
Chuseok, family members gather to make songpyeon together, illustrating the importance of
family in Korean society.
Another Chuseok tradition in modern-day Korea is that of gift-giving. Koreans will
present gifts to not only their relatives, but also to friends and business acquaintances to show
their thanks and appreciation. Some customary gift ideas are high-quality cuts of beef, fresh
fruit such as apples, and gift sets of everything from traditional Korean snacks to useful items
like shampoo. If you look around supermarkets and department stores before Chuseok, you
will no doubt encounter a huge variety of gift sets on sale. Spam, which is extremely popular
in Korea, is actually one of the most popular gift sets to present to those near and dear to you.
With Chuseok approaching soon, remember to share the time with your loved ones
and eat some delicious food to capture the essence of this Korean holiday. The various dishes
served at Chuseok festival, such as :
1. Songpyeon
Songpyeon is a colorful rice cake made in half-moon shape and given a filling of
red bean syrup, soybeans, chestnut or whatever you like. Let it look more cute, you can
make it with additional decoration in the form of beautiful colorful flowers. Songpyeong
has always been a favorite when chuseok.
2. Jeon
Jeon is made from flour flour added with vegetables, meat or seafood. But
Koreans eat vegetables more often. Jeon we also usually meet as a banchan or an
appetizer
3. Torantang
Torantang is a soup made from taro. You can add meat or tofu. Torantang is
claimed to be able to facilitate digestive function. Maybe because the food served when
chuseok is spelled out a lot, in order to avoid digestive problems people have to consume
torantang.
4. Hwayangjeok
Hwayangjeok is a perfect blend of stir-fried meat and colorful vegetables such as
carrots and cucumbers which are stabbed and neatly arranged with a sprinkling of pine
powder. You can also add mushroom pieces if you want. Apart from the delicious taste,
the display of this food is really Instagram.
5. Galbi Jjim
One of the best foods of non-Koreans is stew beef ribs mixed with some
vegetables. It tastes like a typical Indonesian meat stew with its sweet and salty taste. The
difference is, if the sweet taste of Indonesian stews is obtained from soy sauce, the sweet
taste of Galbi Jjim is obtained from dates.
6. Baesuk
This unique taste of Baesuk is made from stew of pears with a mixture of ginger
that warms the body and dates and honey. This traditional Korean drink is known for its
efficacy that can prevent flu