Ch'usŏk

Chuseok (; , ), also known as Hangawi (; ; 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. thumb|Hanbok thumb|Songpyeon 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 (). and dongdongju. There are two major traditions related to Chuseok: Charye (, ancestor memorial services at home, also known as Jesa), and Seongmyo (, family visit to the ancestral graves), which is usually accompanied by Beolcho (, tidying graves, removing weeds around them). Another major custom is to prepare the family's ancestors their favorite meals as an offering.

==Origins== According to popular belief, Chuseok originates from gabae (). Gabae started during the reign of the third king of the kingdom of Silla (57 BC – AD 935), when it was a month-long weaving contest between two teams. On the day of Gabae, the team that had woven more cloth won and would be treated to a feast by the losing team. It is believed that weaving competitions, archery competitions, and martial arts demonstrations were held as part of the festivities.