10 Track 10

Review unit 3

Fluency Practice

Review Readings 6: Celebrating Chusok

Page 123

Celebrating Chusok

Chusok is one of the most important festivals in the Korean calendar. It takes place in the eighth month of the lunar calendar (in either September or October), on the night of the full moon.

Chusok is a time for family reunions and for people to honor and give thanks to their ancestors. It is also meant to celebrate nature and the large harvest that it has given them.

Nowadays, many people in Korea live and work in big cities like Seoul. During Chusok, people who have moved away return to their hometowns in the countryside to celebrate together.

The government gives everyone a day off from work before and after Chusok. Many people spend those days traveling, as the roads are very busy during this period. A two-hour journey can easily turn into six hours!

At the family home, the day before Chusok is spent cleaning the home and preparing food for ceremonies and family dinners. Women make songphyun – moon-shaped rice cakes with a sweet filling − using new rice from the recent harvest.

It is said that the woman who makes the most beautiful songphyun will find a good-looking husband or give birth to a beautiful daughter. The songphyun can take days to make, but now people can buy them easily in stores.

The next day is Chusok. People make an effort to dress nicely and wear traditional costumes like the hanbok, although this is more common among the older women.

In the morning, food is placed on a special table dedicated to their ancestors, and families pay a visit to their graves. Later, traditional games like yut nori (a game of throwing sticks) and hwa-tu (a card game) are played.

At night, the whole family goes outdoors under the full moon, and everyone eats and drinks until late.

The third day is usually spent traveling back home and preparing to return to work or school. Like Thanksgiving and Lunar New Year, Chusok is a time for families to reconnect with past traditions, as well as spend time with each other.