Wonderful Traditions: Countries That Celebrate Thanksgiving ~ Spotlight on South Korea

In the USA, Thanksgiving is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November. 

In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. 

I learned something new while perusing random posts on Facebook. I did not know South Korea had a Thanksgiving celebration. 

Image credit: Shared via Facebook page - Korea With U

Chuseok, South Korea’s Thanksgiving 

Chuseok falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar** and is also known as Hangawi. Chuseok (often called Korean Thanksgiving Day) runs from September 24 to September 26, 2026 (an official three-day holiday period), with the main harvest day falling on September 25. 

[** The Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival).  The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, although some countries have developed distinct names and traditions for the holiday.]

Many Koreans continue to return to their hometowns to celebrate Chuseok with their families.

HISTORY AND ORIGINS: 

The festival celebration stretches back roughly 2,000 years, rooted deeply in Korea’s ancient history as an agrarian society and heavily influenced by a mixture of royal legend, shamanism, and Confucianism. The primary historical and cultural origins of the festival are summarized below. 

1. The Legend of Gabae (The Silla Kingdom): According to the Samguk Sagi (the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history), the festival dates back to the reign of King Yuri (24 to 57 AD) of the Silla Kingdom. 

2. Shamanistic Moon Worship: Many scholars trace Chuseok's roots to ancient shamanistic harvest rituals. Early Koreans believed that the full moon was a vital symbol of fertility, abundance, and prosperity. 

3. Confucian Influence and Ancestral Worship: As Confucianism became the dominant social ideology in Korea during later dynasties (such as the Joseon Dynasty), the focus of the festival gradually shifted toward filial piety and formal ancestral worship. 

4. The Half-Moon Proverb (Silla vs. Baekje): The signature Chuseok food, the half-moon-shaped rice cake called [songpyeon], has historical roots in the Three Kingdoms era.

Image created by ChatGPT

REFERENCES: 

“Chuseok: Korean Thanksgiving Day.” Asia Society, 6 Sep. 2013, https://asiasociety.org/korea/chuseok-korean-thanksgiving-day. 

sarfraz.malik@prhacker.com. “CHUSEOK - September 25, 2026.” National Today, 21 Sep. 2021, https://nationaltoday.com/chuseok/.

🫰 Original source

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KITCHEN, BEMBUM. “How to Make Quick & Easy Songpyeon 송편 (Chuseok 추석 Korean Rice Cake)!” YouTube, 3 Aug. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eg8ZpZH1tg.