Chuseok or thanksgiving day in Korea

In Korea, the long-awaited holiday weekend, connected with the Korean Thanksgiving Day, or as it is called, the harvest day, or just in Korean, Chusok (추석), began.

This is probably the second most important holiday in Korea. The main holiday in the Korean calendar is still the Solnal or the Eastern New Year.

Thanksgiving Day in Korea is celebrated every year on August 15th according to the lunar calendar. It so happened that this year this day fell on September 24, and we were given rest as much as before Wednesday.

Although all 5 days of rest will not work, because there are a lot of cases, but still the time to share news with you, and finally, to write a couple of articles for the community, it was found! So, HURRAY!

I have so many ideas and thoughts accumulated during this time, and I so want to share with you. But I'll start from the holiday.

Posters with congratulations hang on the streets

For the holiday of Chusok Koreans are preparing thoroughly. At work, employees are given gifts, relatives and friends, too, do not come to meetings empty-handed. But the most important thing is that people go to their relatives. Children go to their parents, and then all together to grandparents. Also, on this day, bow to the already departed relatives. Graves of ancestors are visited.

Children should bow to their parents and wish them all the best, thank them for everything. And then they all sit down at the festive table.

Set of apples and pines

Even melon is not just presented, but packed beautifully in a box

A few words about gifts. It seems that I once wrote that Koreans are very practical in this regard. So, as gifts give very beautiful boxes with fruits, with bathroom accessories, with a set of shampoos or toothpaste, sets with butter and stew, even sets with meat. Packages are very beautiful, that they even open a pity.

Gift of the premium class - a set of ginseng

Previously, for Chusok necessarily prepared special rice bread, called Songphen (송편) . They say that if you blend this bread beautifully, you will have a beautiful daughter. I asked Koreans for acquaintances, but apparently, the generation is not the same, and rice bread for Chusok they do not mold themselves and very rarely eat, buying it in the store.

On the day of Chusok (or rather in the night) there is a full moon, it is believed that such a bright and round moon happens only once a year, namely at Chusok. And there is a belief that if you look at this moon and make a wish, then it will come true.

According to Korean traditions, people also conduct roundelays on this day. But modern Koreans simply watch television or communicate with their family instead of dances. Well, the most modern, and those who have money, just go to travel somewhere. And they do it right, how not to take advantage of this opportunity, because 5 days of rest are a great rarity in Korea. Leave is a maximum of two weeks a year.

As on Chusok all go home, i.e. in other cities, then on the highways terrible traffic jams are formed. If on ordinary days you can drive to the house in 2 hours, then on Chusok on the road you can spend all 6 or more hours.

But Chusok immediately shows how many visitors are in Seoul, as the city is empty before our eyes. I will say right away that Chusok is not the best time to visit Korea, as many establishments do not work.

Let Chusok - this is an eastern holiday, but still I congratulate all the authors of the Steemit with this holiday, and I wish you and your family good health, prosperity, and happiness!

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@irisworld

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