Whether it be food, shows or pop music, Korea is finally getting the worldwide creative and cultural recognition it deserves. Beyond Korean barbeque, BTS or the Baby Shark video that broke the internet, this is the perfect time of year to teach kids about the East Asian country and its biggest holiday of the year – Chuseok, also known as Hangawi.
What is Chuseok?
“Reckoned by the lunar calendar, Chuseok is a celebration of food and family during Korea’s autumn harvest,” says Ian Oats, associate director of the Center for Korea Studies at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies. “The significance of Chuseok resides in the practice of charye, [a rite of] ancestral worship.”
Charye today is more cultural than religious. The term literally translates as “tea ceremony” and involves an elaborate table prepared to honor ancestors who have passed — families gather from near and far to also ask for blessings in hopes of bountiful harvests, protection and good fortune. Many wear hanbok (traditional clothing) for the formal ceremony and a feast follows. “Family and food are both rooted in Korean traditions,” says Grace Han, a mom of one and a former teacher based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Chuseok, like many other Korean celebrations, honors the survival, intergenerational community and the strength of our people.”
Han adds that she and her family talk about the idea of harvest during Chuseok, how it is a time to be thankful for each other and the community for their bountiful lives. Not surprisingly, Chuseok is sometimes referred to as Korean Thanksgiving in the U.S.
When is Chuseok?
Chuseok is on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar but is nationally celebrated with a three-day festival in South Korea. In 2023, Chuseok begins on September 28 on the Gregorian calendar.
Ways to celebrate Chuseok with kids
Ahead are some fun ways to celebrate Chuseok with kids of all ages.
1. Read about Korean cultural celebrations
Through games, crafts, foods and stories, “Korean Celebration: Festivals, Holidays, and Traditions” by Tina Cho offers young readers a window into Korean cultural celebrations, including how Chuseok is celebrated.
2. Try songpyeon, the ultimate Chuseok treat
“When I lived in Korea, my sister and I would help my mother prepare food days in advance,” says Do-Hee Morsman, Asian Centers manager at the University of Michigan and mother of two. “I remember foraging for pine needles (a symbol of longevity in Korean culture) near a playground so that they could line the steamers that the songpyeon (little dumpling-like filled rice cakes) were cooked in.”
Steaming the rice cakes over the needles infuses a piney fragrance to the delicacies stuffed with fillings like sweet red or white beans, sesame, honey and chestnut. Buy some of these beautiful Chuseok treats at your local Korean grocery store or try making them at home with the illustrated recipe included in Tina Cho’s book mentioned above or by watching this video from the Korean Bapsang blog.
3. Play a Chuseok memory game
Tigerboom Creative offers a free printable Chuseok matching game that little ones can color and decorate before playing to match and learn traditional Korean foods enjoyed during this festival.
4. Watch and learn Ganggangsullae folk dance
Ganggangsullae is a traditional Korean dance with a history that goes back thousands of years where women wearing hanbok hold hands and dance in a circle to celebrate the seasonal harvest. I love this fun one-minute demonstration video above from the Korean Culture Centre Canada that kids and their grown-ups can easily follow along, but if you’d like a more detailed breakdown, this series from K-Community Festival is great.
5. Make jeon for a Chuseok holiday feast
“Our family isn’t very big, but we always cook up a feast of various side dishes, Korean barbeque meats and different kinds of jeon, which are Korean pancakes and fritters,” says Nicole Song, a mom of two from Chandler, Arizona, who prioritizes celebrating the Korean holiday to help her nurture a strong sense of their heritage in her kids.
Jeon, another must-have food for Chuseok, is not only delicious but relatively easy to make – and can be made from a variety of veggies, fish and meats. “No Kimchi for Me!” by Aram Kim is a cute picture book that features a kimchi jeon recipe. (If you don’t want to make your own, the scallion jeon in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s is quite good and most Korean restaurants feature hot and crispy seafood pancakes year-round.)
6. Listen to Korean folk music
Whatever Chuseok activities you choose to do with your kids, a good soundtrack is a must for added cultural ambiance. Try this Spotify Korean folk music playlist to get you started.
7. Play Yut-Nori
Yut-Nori is a popular traditional Korean board game played during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok. See the video above from Dr. Jang’s Play Math for a tutorial on how to make a DIY game set and how to play. A Yut-Nori game set can also be purchased online. For more information about other kid-friendly traditional Korean games, see the Virtual Chuseok page from the Nam Center for Korean Studies at the University of Michigan.
8. Put together a Chuseok gift set of Korean snacks for loved ones
Special Chuseok gift sets are commonly exchanged during visits with family and friends. Traditionally, fruits, ginseng and meats are the norm, but why not have kids put together fun Chuseok baskets of Korean snacks like Pepero and Banana Puffs for their friends and family? Don’t have a Korean grocery where you live? H Mart offers shipping across the U.S.
9. Get crafty with a charye table setting activity
The Chuseok table setting is a thoughtfully coordinated affair with specific foods arranged in different rows from west to east as an offering to ancestors. Review the table setting rules and then have the kids complete Korean food coloring sheets — available free from Aerilyn Books — and cut them out and arrange them in order on a construction paper table.
10. Make a Chuseok wish – BTS-style!
Got little K-Pop fans at home? The global phenomenon BTS makes Chuseok greeting videos each year that garner millions of views. These sweet videos have English subtitles and feature the boy band wearing hanbok and making wholesome Chuseok wishes — a perfect prompt for kids to make a Chuseok wish of their own.
11. Give thanks
“Korean holidays are so special to me,” says Han. “My parents taught me to celebrate the lasting traditions of their country of birth. They remind me of the fortitude and beauty of the land whose legacy is riddled with colonization and war.” For immigrant families, celebrating holidays from countries of origin builds a vital connection to heritage and cultural identity that can be key in building confidence in kids. Chuseok is a meaningful time to reflect and give thanks — and really, isn’t every opportunity to ask ourselves and our children what we are grateful for a good one?
