Korea has a long history as an agrarian society, meaning Korean people have always lived off the land for their food and livelihood. In the United States, we have a holiday once a year to celebrate our harvest, Thanksgiving. In South Korea, there is a much older holiday called Chuseok, which has a 2,000-year history. The word Chuseok means autumn evening and is celebrated each year to celebrate the harvest and to give thanks. Chuseok is a single day when the moon is at its fullest on the eighth month of the lunar calendar however the celebrations continue the day before and after Chuseok Day. The experience of Chuseok as a foreigner in South Korea is very different from that of locals because it is a family-based holiday. The biggest thing you noticed as a foreigner was that Seoul, the capital city, shut down. The loud bustling streets were suddenly empty as almost everyone left the city and traveled home to be with their families. For me, this was a great time to explore different places but also made me miss my family, so some friends and I decided to have a mini Chuseok celebration for ourselves!
