Chuseok Korean Festival

Understanding Chuseok (추ጯ)

Chuseok, also known as Hangawi (한가위), is the Korean harvest festival. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, which lands in late September or early October on the Gregorian calendar. People often call it “Korean Thanksgiving,” and it ranks among the biggest holidays in both South and North Korea.

The celebration runs three days — the eve, the main day, and the day after — so families have time to make the trip back to their ancestral hometowns. Two traditions sit at the heart of it. There is charye (차렬), a memorial rite that honors ancestors with seasonal foods, and there is the making of songpyeon (송편), half-moon rice cakes stuffed with sesame, beans, or chestnut and steamed over pine needles.

Applications

This calculator helps you plan a trip to Korea during the holiday, when transport and lodging book out months ahead. You can also use it to line up business closures with Korean partners, set dates for cultural events at Korean associations abroad, or just check when Chuseok falls each year for personal or academic reference.

FAQ

Why does the date change every year? Chuseok is tied to the lunisolar calendar (8th lunar month, 15th day), so its Gregorian date drifts year to year, somewhere between mid-September and early October.

Is Chuseok celebrated outside South Korea? It is. North Korea marks it too, and Korean communities around the world hold their own gatherings. The official 3-day holiday, however, applies only in Korea.

What is the difference between Chuseok and Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival? They land on the same lunar date (8th month, 15th day) and both lean on harvest themes. The emphasis differs, though: Chuseok revolves around ancestral rites and songpyeon, whereas the Chinese festival is about mooncakes and gazing at the moon.