Chusok: An Overview
The Korean Harvest Moon Festival called “Chusok” is over 2,000 years old, but it is now also sometimes referred to as “Korean Thanksgiving” because it is the traditional time for Koreans to thank their ancestors for the year's harvest. A three-day celebration that falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Chusok usually takes place in September or October on the Gregorian (Western) calendar.
Chusok is the most popular holiday in Korea, so it is a time of high travel and unbelievable traffic as people journey to visit their families of origin or the graves of their ancestors. It is also a gift-giving holiday, and friends, employers, and coworkers exchange gifts of food, alcohol, fruit, and other non-perishable items.
