Chuseok

Chuseok (Korean: 추석; [tɕʰu.sʌk̚], lit. 'autumn evening'), also known as Hangawi (한가위; [han.ɡa.ɥi]; from Old Korean, "the great middle [of autumn]"), is a major Korean mid-autumn harvest festival which occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunisolar calendar, on the full moon. In South Korea, the festival lasts for three days, including the days before and after the full moon. In North Korea, Chuseok is a single-day celebration on the full moon only. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food such as songpyeon, yakgwa, fruits like Asian pear and hallabong, and rice wines such as sindoju (신도주; 新稻酒). and dongdongju. There are two major traditions related to Chuseok: Charye (차례; 茶禮, ancestor memorial services at home, also known as Jesa), and Seongmyo (성묘; 省墓, family visit to the ancestral graves), which is usually accompanied by Beolcho (벌초; 伐草, tidying graves, removing weeds around them). Another major custom is to prepare the family's ancestors their favorite meals as an offering.