Chuseok: Korea's Autumn Harvest Festival
What and When Is Chuseok?
Chuseok is Korea’s major autumn harvest festival, often called Korean Thanksgiving. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually arriving in September or October. The holiday officially lasts for three days—the day before, the day of, and the day after the full moon—though many businesses and offices extend the break.
The holiday centers on gratitude for a bountiful harvest and paying respects to ancestors. Families travel across the country to gather in their hometowns, making it one of the most culturally significant times of the year in Korea.
What People Do and Eat
The holiday revolves around ancestral rites known as *charye*, where families set out a table of freshly harvested grains, fruits, and meat to honor forebears. People also visit family graves to clear weeds and pay respects, a practice called *seongmyo*.
The quintessential food of Chuseok is *songpyeon*, half-moon-shaped rice cakes stuffed with sweet fillings like chestnut, sesame, or red bean paste, steamed over layers of pine needles. Families traditionally make them together, believing that shaping a neat rice cake brings a beautiful daughter or future success.
What Travelers Should Know
If you are visiting Korea during Chuseok, expect major disruptions. It brings the worst traffic congestion of the entire year as millions hit the highways. Train tickets sell out weeks in advance.
On the actual day of Chuseok and the surrounding days, a vast majority of restaurants, small shops, and markets close completely as proprietors return to their hometowns. However, major tourist spots, department stores, and convenience stores in cities like Seoul generally remain open.
Weather and City Atmosphere
During Chuseok, the weather is typically crisp, clear, and very pleasant, marking the comfortable transition from summer heat into true autumn. It is a fantastic time for outdoor walks if you stay in major cities.
Seoul transforms dramatically over the holiday weekend. The usual frantic crowds and roaring traffic vanish, leaving the streets unusually quiet and peaceful. If you do not mind limited dining options in certain neighborhoods, it can be one of the most relaxing times of the year to explore the capital.
Common questions
Is everything closed during Chuseok?
Not everything, but a lot is. Small family-run restaurants, traditional markets, and independent shops usually close for two to three days. Chain restaurants, convenience stores, and major tourist attractions stay open.
How hard is it to travel around Korea during Chuseok?
Intercity travel is extremely difficult. Highway traffic can turn a standard two-hour drive into an eight-hour ordeal, and high-speed train tickets book out almost instantly when they go on sale. Try to avoid long-distance travel on the main exodus and return days.