September 22 ushers Korean Thanksgiving, 'Chuseok'

The Korean Thanksgiving is called Chuseok, which generally falls on Aug. 15, when using the lunar calendar. This year, it is Sept. 22, but is celebrated on Sept. 21-23. Some people even take the whole week off. Apart from New Year's Day, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays in Korea.
The most important thing we do on Chuseok is get together with family and do a memorial ceremony for our ancestors. Younger people bow to their elders. Since one has to bow to everyone who is older than him, the youngest one has to do nonstop bowing to each member of the whole family. When we bow for this special day, we use a certain bow that shows more respect. We basically have to touch our foreheads to the ground.
The next important thing of this celebration is the food. Songpyeon, a half-moon-shaped rice cake, is the most popular traditional food for Chuseok. Many times, the whole family makes the Songpyeon together, having family bonding time. There are all kinds of food : rice, fish, vegetables, fruit, meat, and so on. For this day, like Americans do, we eat a lot.

Not everything is good, though. Since everyone visits their hometown, there can be huge traffic jams on the roads with many accidents. Adults, usually ladies, have to work a lot to prepare for this big holiday. Many moms get sick after this week. However, through Chuseok, people get energy to live until New Years Day, which makes them go to their hometown every year.

Children, including teenagers, have the most fun on this day. There is high chance for them to earn money from elders because happy adults are willing to give money. They also get to wear pretty, traditional clothes called Hanbok.

We can see the biggest and brightest moon on Chuseok because it is on Sept. 15 of the lunar calendar. When watching the moon, people pray for good luck for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately, international students miss this great holiday every year when they are away from their families. It is easy for them to get homesick at this time, so when you see a Korean student, please give them a hug.

--By Yoha Lee