Ch’u Sok, the Korean thanksgiving day, is the most famous traditional event in Korea. The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is called Ch’u Sok (the harvest moon) or Hangawi.
It is a time to give thanks for autumn harvests and be together with your family.
We wake up early on this day. We wear Korean traditional clothing called a hanbok. A hanbok is pretty and elegant. The roundness of allthe Hanbok shapes shows the Korean character. The Korean character is harmony, simplicity and honesty.
Then we perform an ancestor worship ritual. We offer our ancestors food from the harvest. Families visit the graves of their ancestors to bow and clean the area for winter.
Songpaen is one main food we prepare on Ch’u Sok. It is a crescent-shaped rice cake. We make songpaen in our families and play folk games such as Kanggang Sullae (an ancient circle dance) and Farmer’s Musical Band.