How Chuseok is changing: from tradition to modernity. Chuseok (추석) and holiday rituals What to eat on Chuseok
The culture of Korea - both South and North - is largely associated with the cult of ancestors. It is this feature that Chuseok Day is dedicated to, which combines the celebration of the harvest of the new crop and the tradition of commemorating the dead. Chuseok, along with Sollal, the Korean New Year, is the main ritual holiday in the country. The Juche system tried to eradicate it, but the tradition turned out to be too important for the Koreans.
history of the holiday
There is no fixed date for Chuseok. The holiday takes place every year on different days - this is due to the peculiarities of the lunar calendar, which is used in Asia along with the European one.
Chuseok is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. This date usually falls between mid-August and mid-October. In 2018, harvest day will be celebrated on September 24th.
The exact version of the origin of the holiday is unknown. One of the versions goes back to the military traditions of Korea. Allegedly, in ancient times, in the middle of autumn, warriors organized games and competitions with weapons, which are customary to hold in our time. However, to a greater extent, researchers are inclined to the version that goes back to the traditions of Korean shamanism.
In pagan times, the country had a cult of the full moon, which was associated with good luck and fertility.
During the celebrations in mid-autumn, the peasants rejoiced at the new harvest, thanked their ancestors and asked them for good luck for the next agricultural year. Over time, Confucianism and Christianity spread in Korea, which supplanted shamanism, but the cult of honoring the dead remained.
Traditions on Chuseok Day
Usually three days are allotted for the celebration. The second day is considered the main one, and the other two serve to prepare and return to business. This is due to the fact that on Chuseok it is customary to visit the graves of deceased relatives, restore order in cemeteries, and the celebration itself is held in relatives' homes. Therefore, before and after Chuseok is given a free day, which usually goes to the road.
Visiting the graves of ancestors and further ceremonies take place according to the traditional scheme. On the graves of ancestors on this day, it is necessary to remove old leaves and mow the grass. These actions are sometimes performed in advance, but on the day of the holiday it is not shameful to put things in order.
The next stage is similar to the Russian tradition of bringing food to the graves. Her offerings are accompanied by prostrations.
The third stage of the holiday takes place in the house, where a small altar is built in honor of the ancestors. Food is also brought to him, and they also bow, expressing respect.
This tradition is closely intertwined with the foundations of Confucianism. For 700 years, it has taught Koreans respect for elders, which has left a significant imprint on culture.
Festive table
In addition to songpyeons, unleavened boiled rice, traditional buckwheat noodle soup - kukusu, vegetable pickles, which include kimchi, fried and stewed meat, fish dishes, appear on the table. They usually drink traditional rice wine and vodka - makgeolli and soju.
Entertainment
After lunch, Koreans go outside and hold mass celebrations there. The two most popular entertainments are folk male wrestling shirym and female round dances kangan sulle. Previously, weaving competitions were popular, which had to weave as much cloth as possible in a certain time, but this tradition is becoming a thing of the past.
Shireum is a traditional Korean martial art that is played in pairs. Men must fight hand to hand until the opponent falls to the ground. In principle, shirym is similar to sumo, but the rules do not indicate that the opponent must be pushed out of the circle.
Kangan sulle is a round dance in which young women and girls dance. It has its origins in the military dance, which was used as a tactical trick in antiquity.
According to legend, the girls of the village, in which all the men had already left to fight, dressed in military uniforms and went to the top of the hill. There they began to dance kangan sulle. From a distance, it seemed to the enemies that there were a lot of soldiers gathered there, and they did not attack the village.
Features of the celebration in North Korea
The socialist construction of life left its mark on folk traditions. In the 60-80s, the authorities fought Chuseok and Solalle as holidays of Chinese origin. However, over time, the confrontation turned into a kind of advertising, and traditions began to be presented as originally Korean.
However, political holidays became the main ones in the country - the birthdays of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Folk traditions could compete with them, so the festivities gradually began to be transferred to a more modest status.
Unlike South Korea, in North Korea the emphasis is not on fun, but on the solemn side of reverence. In addition, residents cannot move freely around the country, so visiting distant relatives and ancestral graves can be difficult.
In the northern part of the peninsula, a tradition has appeared on the day of Chuseok to bring money to the graves - 55 or 555 won. In Korean, the number "five" is consonant with the word "arrive", so it is believed that such monetary coaxing of relatives will lead to profit in the future.
If it suddenly seemed to you that life has become too quiet, then don't be surprised, it's just time to celebrate Chuseok (추석) - one of the most important Korean holidays, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. This year, Chuseok fell on September 19, but due to the importance of this holiday in Korea, the day before and the day after it are non-working. That's the reason for the closed banks and empty streets - everyone went to celebrate.
If you think about it, then my acquaintance with the traditions of Korea began precisely with the celebration of Chuseok and my participation in the rite of remembrance of the ancestors.
History of Chuseok
Some scholars, represented by Wikipedia (and who am I not to believe it?!), are inclined to attribute the origin of the Chuseok holiday to the kabe (가배) competition during the reign of the third king of the Shilla Kingdom (57 BC - 935 AD). ), when for a whole month teams of weavers competed to see who weaves more fabric, and then the losers arranged a feast for the winners. There is also an opinion that the holiday is celebrated in honor of the victory of the kingdom of Shilla over its rival kingdom of Baekje, so it is clear where the tradition of organizing archery competitions and demonstrations of martial arts on this day came from.
However, most attribute the appearance of Chuseok to an ancient shamanic rite of celebration of the full moon during the harvest season. No wonder this holiday has another name Hankawi (한가위, which literally translates as “big mid-autumn”). The new harvest was dedicated to local deities and ancestors, so in this respect, Chuseok is a ritual holiday.
Mandatory ceremonies of Chuseok
Usually in Chuseok, families gather together, perform ancestor worship ceremonies, and eat special festive food. But first things first.
In Chuseok, every self-respecting family must perform three rituals related to honoring the ancestors. Polcho (벌초) is the mowing of grass on the graves of ancestors, which means visiting them.
The second rite is called sunmyu (성묘) and is very similar to our rite of bringing food to the grave, as if sharing a meal with the deceased. The family bows to their ancestors and offers them alcohol, fruits, meat, and sikhs as offerings.
The third obligatory rite is called chare (차례) and is performed in the morning in the house where the whole family gathers, in front of the altar built in honor of the ancestors - this is exactly the rite of remembrance in which I participated in the early days of my acquaintance with the culture of Korea. The meaning of the ceremony is to cajole the ancestors and get their blessing. A festive table with various dishes is set up in front of the altar: rice and soup should be placed in its northern part, fruits and vegetables should be placed in the south, meat dishes should be placed in the west and in the middle, and rice cake and drinks such as makgeolli or soju should be placed in the east.
In South Korea, the traditional Chuseok or Chuseok festival falls around mid-autumn. Taking into account other holidays, it can last about 10 days. For example, in 2017, the beginning of the holiday coincided with October 4th.
Hangavi is another name for one of the most important holidays in Korea. It is formed from the words "khan", which means "big", and also "gavi", which translates as "middle". It turns out a small reference to the middle of autumn.
Chuseok traditions
This holiday is also closely associated with the full moon. When its date is calculated according to the lunar calendar, it falls on the 15th day of the eighth month, just when the full moon is visible in the sky.
On Chuseok, Koreans honor the spirits of their ancestors. On the morning of the holiday, everyone makes offerings to deceased relatives to propitiate them. All who participate in the celebration wear clean pim clothes. Then, after the “sacrifice” is made, the family members themselves taste the food offered to the spirits. Traditional Chuseok dishes are:
- Bread;
- Alcohol.
When the meal is over, it is customary to go to the graves of the ancestors to weed the grass there and clean up next to the graves. This is how Koreans express deep respect for their ancestors. If a person does not perform these actions, then he is considered an unworthy member of society.
Folk festivals on Chuseok
In addition to visiting the graves of their ancestors, Koreans hold various festivals on Chuseok. There you can see dancing with masks, playing "samulnori" (musical instruments), round dances and choral singing.
The tradition of dancing on this day is explained by one legend. It is believed that when enemies attacked Korea, all the women, without exception, put on military costumes and went to a high mountain to dance. Opponents had the opinion that this was how they were shown the huge military forces owned by Korea. Frightened by the superior number of the enemy, the aggressors retreated.
Fights are held on special sandy grounds during the festivities. In Korean culture, they are called "ssireum". Men compete in agility and the ability to take a punch. In general, such performances are quite peaceful.
Culinary component of the holiday
Songpyeon is a common food in Chuseok. The flatbreads are made from rice and are stuffed with sesame seeds, beans and chestnuts. To make the dish soft and neat, fresh and selected rice for it is pre-beaten.
According to the holiday belief, whoever makes songpyeon better than others will get a good husband and good children. These cakes are molded on boards strewn with pine needles. Therefore, the resulting product always has a subtle smell of pine.
Other jeon flatbreads are made with eggs and small pieces of fish, as well as meat. Sometimes vegetables are added to this side dish in the dough. All resulting cakes are fried in a hot frying pan until crispy.
At the festive table on such a day, all distant and closest relatives gather. On Chuseok, Koreans go to visit each other, so the highways are always full of cars during this period.
Alcohol on the festive table is prepared from rice obtained after the harvest. The rite of remembrance is never complete without the use of this drink.
Having gathered for a meal, Koreans remember their ancestors, have leisurely conversations, tell those who have not been seen for a long time about what happened to them during the year. After family gatherings, many go to street festivals and take part in folk festivals.
Chuseok is a holiday when people celebrate the generosity of nature, glorify the spirits of their ancestors, dress in traditional Korean costumes. If Chuseok falls on a weekend, then it is not transferred to weekdays, which is not accepted in South Korea. Maybe that's why Koreans are so reverent about their national holidays, celebrating them colorfully and on a grand scale. There are enough holidays in South Korea, it's just that many of them are not days off, and people try to make the most of the time allotted for them to rest for the benefit of the soul and body. This approach is considered correct and rational.
Moses Kim, culturologist
On September 29, 2018, the Moscow Festival of Korean Culture Chuseok-2018 was held at the Moscow Palace of Pioneers on Sparrow Hills. With the support of the Department of National Policy, Interregional Relations of the Government of Moscow.
The participants and guests of the celebration were congratulated by the Head of the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of the Government of Moscow Vitaly Suchkov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Ethnography and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for Interethnic Relations Vladimir Zorin, Counsellor, Consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Russian Federation Pak Ji-Un, President of the Charitable Foundation named after Kim Pen Hwa Robert Kim, Executive Director of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia Nazirjon Abduganiyev, Hero of Socialist Labor Gennady Bashtanyuk .
Among the guests of honor is the director of the Moscow House of Nationalities V.B. Tarasov, founder of the Korean school No. 1086, honored teacher of Russia N.N. Em, Chairman of the All-Russian Congress of Ethnojournalists "Culture of the World" D.R. Sadykhbekov, Executive Director of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia N.N. Abduganiyev, a delegation of public figures and cultural figures from the Ryazan region and others. In addition to traditional Korean songs and dances, participants and guests of the festival were impressed by modern performances of vocal and dance groups, famous performers of Korean and Russian songs and dances.
Exhibitions were set up in the foyer: the nature of Korea, folk holidays, the history and fate of Russian Koreans, youth ensembles, international motor races. Interactive platforms were actively working: master classes in weaving flowers, making handigongye (paper art), calligraphy, national games - Dyangi, Go, Yutnori, Korean chess.
Throughout the day, Muscovites and guests of the capital were in the atmosphere of the original culture and customs of the Koreans, carefully preserved by the descendants of the Land of the Morning Calm, who have been living in Russia for more than 150 years. The visitors were pleased with an interesting, varied program. Republic of Korea, fun competitions and games, fairs and exhibitions of photography, national souvenirs, clothes, dishes, competitions in national games. There was also a memorable, very interesting meeting with the world-famous writer Anatoly Kim, who held a presentation of his extraordinary novel "Joys of Paradise".
It happened near a specially designated press wall, where numerous press approaches were made with the participation of distinguished guests and organizers of the Chuseok holiday.
Leaders and activists of national public organizations of Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Jews, Kazakhs, Russian Germans, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Belarusians and other communities arrived to congratulate everyone on a great celebration. All participants of the festival found themselves in the center of real Korean melodies, dances, rituals and traditions, they saw with their own eyes how many generations of Koreans in Russia live, work and develop their spiritual heritage, now being an integral part of a single Russian nation. Many visitors took part in master classes of famous artisans on paper art, try on Korean national costumes (hanbok), get acquainted with photo exhibitions and show themselves on dance floors.
They showed their strength and skills in competitions, games, competitions, shows, purchased national souvenirs, books, folk art crafts. We enjoyed tasting various dishes of Korean and other national cuisines.
For this, impromptu tents, platforms, tents, stands, tables were set up, as well as for traditional ceremonies during the celebration of Chuseok.
A gala concert was held with the participation of the “Center for the Development of Korean Culture “Ariran-Rus”, Korean dance ensembles “Hanyl Se” and “Pom Param”, “Firebird”, theatrical and musical studio “Muziko”, choir groups of the Sakhalin Korean Society of Moscow , MROO "Bomminryon", "Joseon", famous performers.
The best Korean and Russian creative teams, soloists, ensembles, orchestras performed on the central stage. As well as famous singers, dancers, musicians, performers on national instruments. The concert lasted for many hours with a huge number of spectators.
The wonderful holiday Chuseok-2018 took place thanks to the great work of its organizers: the Kim Peng Hwa Charitable Foundation, the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of Moscow, the All-Russian Association of Koreans, the Youth Movement of Koreans in Moscow. Teams of the Society of Sakhalin Koreans in Moscow, the Korean School (former secondary school No. 1086 with a Korean component of education), the Slavic-Korean Orthodox Society, MRRO Bomminryon, Hanul Korean language courses and others also provided great assistance. Special thanks to the Moscow office of the Tourism Association of the Republic of Korea who provided their souvenirs and information materials (fans, posters, guides and other materials).
Information sponsors were the Russian Koreans newspaper, RUSKOR (Russian-Korean Information Agency), the All-Russian Congress of Ethnojournalists, and the monthly Unity. The events of the holiday were covered by the federal media: the Interstate TV and Radio Company MIR, the newspapers Vechernyaya Moskva, Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Chuseok
Chuseok is one of the major Korean holidays. Chuseok literally translates as "autumn evening". This is a holiday of harvesting and commemoration of ancestors. Each time it is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Weekends in Korea are considered the day before and after the holiday. Chuseok - kind ofharvest festival, family and clan, Thanksgiving Day,The Autumn Full Moon Festival has always been and remains the biggest and most beloved Korean folk festival of the year. In Korea to Every Korean wants to celebrate the holiday in his native place with his family, so it is also called the day of the great movement, when unthinkable traffic jams form on the roads of the country.
This holiday has long been associated with visits to the graves of ancestors, religious rituals, which in turn rallied a huge number of people, when people from all over the country flocked to the country and organized multi-day feasts. Among them, the most important was chusugamsaje - a rite of thanksgiving for the harvest, as well as sivolje - offering gifts of a new harvest to deities and spirits, which is part of the chusugamsaje. All these rituals were performed in September-October, when the harvest season ended. . Also, these ritual ceremonies were accompanied by singing and dancing, which served not just for entertainment, but rather were elements of a religious rite inherited from distant ancestors. Chuseok comes in September-October, when the summer heat subsides, but still far from the winter cold, and crowns the labors of farmers in the fields, being the embodiment of all the most joyful and harmonious.
Since ancient times, the holiday was accompanied by a number of obligatory actions, and, first of all, by visiting pre-arranged family graves and sacrificing to ancestors, as well as to the spirits of the earth, kitchen (brownie), ships, sea and others, depending on the occupation of the head of the house . Then came the time of songs and dances, plentiful feasts and libations, divination by the weather about the future harvest. In Chuseok, special food was prepared from the fruits of the new harvest, as well as rice vodka, the presence of which at the festive table suggested abundance in the house next year, helped to strengthen relations between people. It was considered a good sign if one of the guests, having drunk, could not get up or even fell asleep at the table. They ate the meat of chickens hatched in the spring. They were specially fattened for the holiday and often used as gifts for the elders. On Chuseok, treats are necessarily prepared from the products of the new harvest. The main dish is steamed songpyeon patties, which are made from rice. They can consist only of dough or contain filling - sesame seeds, crushed chestnuts, soybeans, nuts, honey. Songpyeon are often colored using fruit and vegetable juices to color the dough. They are cooked on a pillow of pine needles, which gives the dish a coniferous aroma.
Songpyeons are prepared by all the women in the family. The molding of the pies itself has a symbolic meaning: the round dough base represents the full moon, which turns into a crescent moon when it is stuffed and the edges are blinded. It is believed that a woman who knows how to sculpt neat songpyeons will give birth to beautiful daughters. Unmarried girls win the attention of suitors with appetizing food.
Unleavened boiled rice, traditional buckwheat noodle soup - kukusu, vegetable pickles, including kimchi, fried and stewed meat, fish dishes, appear on the tables. Numerous panchan salads, of course. Also confectionery. They usually drink traditional rice wine and vodka - soju and makgeolli.
In Chuseok, they changed from summer to new autumn clothes, so Korean women, on the eve of it, spun, wove and sewed a lot, especially the national hanbok clothes. All these features of the holiday are preserved, albeit in a modernized form, to this day.
In the old days, the celebration of Chuseok was always accompanied by collective games and rituals, in which all the villagers participated. There is a very noticeable attribute of Chuseok - this is "bull fun" - with nori. The most industrious peasant is put on a bull, he rides around the village and distributes gifts.Many of these games and rituals were probably symbolic in nature and connected with the already forgotten religious roots of this festival. Nowadays, they are also organized, but they are already staging an artificial character, turning into some kind of theatrical performances.
However, the most massive traditional festivities on Chuseok are the female round dance kankansullae (Ganggangsullae), accompanied by choral singing. During this dance, a group of girls, holding hands, form a circle. Moving slowly, and more and more accelerating, they circle around the soloist, who is in the center of the round dance. The soloist sings a song, which the rest of the dance participants pick up in unison. Now a tradition closely associated with the Chuseok holiday has also become the annual congratulations to the authorities, which are made by employees of various companies and organizations. A gift (as a rule, a product of national traditional production - alcohol, confectionery, honey, dried fish, etc.) is accompanied by an elevated written congratulatory message.
The unique flavor of the Chuseok holiday in the CIS and around the world, where Koreans live (and this is about 180 countries), attracts the attention and interest of representatives of many nations to it.
One of the main Korean Chuseok(Chuseok, 추석). It is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, that is, it has a "floating" date - fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month(accounts for September-October).
Chuseok is harvest festival. Sometimes they translate it as "Thanksgiving Day" (an American trend, apparently), although, of course, it has nothing to do with the American holiday, but in fact it turns out right. Only the Koreans thank, of course, not the Indians, but the fertile land for a bountiful harvest.
Harvest Day is probably the oldest holiday celebrated by mankind. After all, what could be more joyful than the end of hard suffering and the end of a bountiful harvest? Abundance is always nice, especially when the time for hard work is over. All peoples celebrated the harvest festival magnificently and widely, but not all of them have preserved this tradition to this day.
Of course, now few Koreans continue to work hard on the land, but Chuseok is especially appreciated in Korea for the tradition of family feasts. On this day, all Korean families strive to unite around the family table. Usually children come to their parents' house from all over the country, cook food for the festive table together, commemorate their ancestors.
During the festival in the royal palaces of Seoul (in
