The most important food at Chuseok is songpyeon - small half-moon-shaped rice cakes filled with sesame seeds, sweet red beans or chestnuts. Families make songpyeon together, and there is a saying that a person who makes beautiful songpyeon will have beautiful children. The rice cakes are steamed over a layer of fragrant pine needles, which give them a lovely scent.
During Chuseok, families visit the graves of ancestors to pay respect, tidy the site and share food. This is a moment to remember those who came before and feel connected to family history across many generations. It is a warm, thoughtful tradition rather than a sad one.
Traditional games played at Chuseok include ssireum wrestling, tug-of-war, swings and a game called gapyeon, where teams try to flip wooden sticks. Folk dances like ganggangsullae - where women and girls hold hands and dance in a large circle under the moonlight - are a beautiful part of the celebration.
Chuseok falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, usually in September or October. During the holiday period, roads and trains are busy as people travel across the country to be with family - it is one of the busiest travel times of the year.