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 Perhaps the most popular and revered Korean holiday is Ch'usok (Hangawi),
or Harvest Moon Festival, which is held on the 15th day of the Eighth
Moon according to the lunar calendar. That is usually in September or
October and is marked by the rising of a full "Harvest Moon."
While usually described as a thanksgiving for a good harvest, Ch'usok in
reality is an ancient holiday dedicated to the ancestors. Families come
together from all over the country and from overseas for the great
holiday. Visitors to Korea are always warned to stay where they are at
Ch'usok time because almost everyone is on the road going back their
ancestral homes. The heavy traffic at this time can be mind-boggling.
 The night before Ch’usok is the time for Kang Kang Sue Wol Lae.
Kang Kang Sue Wol Lae is a traditional ceremony where women gather in a
circle and sing songs.
Early mornings are witness to a Korean ancestor worship ritual where the
Koreans offer up food from newly harvested crops. They then visit the
tombs of their immediate ancestors and set about sprucing up the place
trimming the plants adorning the tombs. Good harvests are often credited
to the blessings of their ancestors. Ch’usok is the opportunity to show
how grateful the Koreans are to their ancestors for all the help and
blessings they received together with the plentiful harvest.
The Korean concept of hometown is distinct because of its affiliation
with ancestor worship and its impact on the mode of observing Ch'usok.
The hometown is not only the place where one is born or grows up. It is
also the place for enshrining the spirits of one's ancestors. Leaving
one's hometown means departure from one's ancestors. This fact alone
accounts for the flocking of Koreans to hometowns for reunion with
relatives and the spirits of their ancestors on festive days like
Ch'usok and the New Year Day.
Songp'yon, crescent-shaped rice cake stuffed with sesame seeds,
chestnut paste or beans, are a Ch'usok favorite.
Every Korean cherishes childhood memories of making Songp'yon with other
family members. Ch'usok is favored over other festive days by fine
weather, the full, bright moon and an abundance of foods made of new
crops and various folk plays creating a festive mood.
 A variety of folk games are played on Ch'usok, but it varies depending
on locality. A lion dance is conducted in the north-western province, a
tug of rope in the Kyongsang Province and Kanggangsullae in the
Cholla Province. For all the games, the farmer's musical band is
prevalent in all provinces.
The characteristic highlights of Koreans' life patterns are summarized
as follows:
First. Koreans set great store in ancestor worship, filial piety
to parents and respect for elders.
Second. There is a strong sense of community ethics that
emphasizes the virtue of sharing foods and work with neighbors.
Cooperative ventures are promoted through folk games played on festive
days.
Third. Harmony with nature is a consistent point of emphasis, as
reflected in the mode of traditional costumes the architectural design
of the traditional houses and the rhythm of folk plays.
Fourth. Ancient shamanism has left its legacy in the belief in
supernatural power as the guardian against natural disasters. Shamanism
has maintained its precarious existence amid the onslaught of modern
civilization and technology
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