추석 (Chuseok) was celebrated very recently. Chuseok is Korean Thanksgiving that is always on August 15 by the lunar calendar. This year Chuseok was on September 19, so by Korean Time, this was 3 days ago. As it was the 15th, there was the full moon on Chuseok night. What is this thanksgiving holiday giving thanks for? It's for harvest, which makes sense, since the September full moon is called the Harvest Moon.
In America, we get a lot of breaks. There's Thanksgiving break, winter break, and spring break and occasional three-day weekends. But not so much in Korea. Which in my humble opinion, they're greatly in need of more breaks, since High School students go to school at 7 or 8 (depending on the school) and go home at least past 9, some even attend an academy after school, so they go home at 2AM. On top of all of this, they hardly get any breaks. But Chuseok is a happy time, since all students get 3 days off from school, Chuseok and the day before and after Chuseok. But this year was special in that the 3 days of Chuseok celebration led right into the weekend! During Chuseok break, Koreans unite with most family members and make 송편 (Songpyeon), rice cakes filled with either sesame seeds and honey, sweet bean paste, or whichever the family decides to put in. Like most holidays, lots of dishes are prepared for the celebration.
Picture Credit: www.aafe.org
Also, on Chuseok, Koreans wear 한복 (Hanbok), Korean traditional clothing. I don't think wearing Hanbok is necessarily required now for Chuseok, but it is popularly worn for this holiday. Hanbok is also worn on lunar New Year, I remember only wearing my Hanbok for New Year's when I was younger, but not for Chuseok. In the modern Korean world, K-pop fans can look forward to seeing their favorite stars in these colorful Hanbok, as pictured below.
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