(Illustration by Hyemin Lee/Stripes Korea)

Chuseok (추석), often called Korean Thanksgiving, is one of the most cherished traditional holidays in Korea. The day changes every year as it is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and usually falls between September and October. Chuseok honors the fall harvest and ancestral traditions. Families reunite to share a feast of traditional foods like songpyeon (rice cakes), jeon (pancakes) and galbijjim (braised short ribs), and they perform jesa, ancestral rites. The holiday also includes visits to family graves, folk games and a wish-making tradition to the full moon. It’s a time of gratitude, family bonding, and remembering one’s roots.

(Illustration by Stripes Korea)