The Holiday That Reminds Us We Belong: Reflections on the Eve of Korea’s Chuseok

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 South Korea observes two major traditional holidays each year. The first is Seollal (Lunar New Year), marking the start of the year on the first day of the first lunar month. The second is Chuseok (the Autumn Harvest Festival), celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month to give thanks for the harvest and wish for abundance. During both holidays, daily routines pause across the country as scattered families gather to exchange greetings and share homemade meals. While modern Korea is increasingly defined by nuclear households and solitary urban living, this is a meaningful moment when the collective warmth of extended families returns.

 

Tomorrow, September 25 (KST), is Chuseok. For the past few weeks, people across the country have been busy planning holiday itineraries, coordinating visits to parents and in-laws. In my case, both households live relatively close by and our families are small, making scheduling straightforward. But for larger extended families, aligning schedules across distant cities can be a logistical challenge. If dates fall through, relatives often have to wait months—or until the next major holiday—just to see one another's faces.

 

🌝A Familiar Rhythm, Yet an Enduring Warmth

 

The traditions leading up to Chuseok follow a comforting, familiar rhythm. Family members gather to prepare holiday delicacies: kneading half-moon rice cakes (songpyeon) stuffed with toasted sesame seeds, sugar, or beans, and pan-frying savory pancakes (jeon) that fill the entire home with their rich aroma. (While making songpyeon by hand is delicate work, leading more households to buy them pre-made today, the spirit of the food remains unchanged.)

 

Reunited families sit down for a communal feast, catch up on each other’s lives, and share thoughtful conversations. Relatives visit one another and travel to ancestral burial sites or columbaria to honor those who have passed away. Despite differing generations, everyone shares a common denominator: dedicating intentional time to be together.

 

In recent years, the landscape of Chuseok has gradually evolved. With household structures diversifying, more people choose to spend the holiday traveling, resting, or pursuing personal interests. Not everyone observes the holiday in the exact same traditional manner anymore.

 

🌞The Heart of Social Impact Communities: Reconnecting People

 

What stands out when we observe traditional gatherings like Chuseok? The answer, while deceptively simple, is profound: the quiet power of together. Gathering to share food, asking after loved ones whom one hasn't seen in months, and enduring hours of severe highway traffic simply to see each other—these small, repeated acts serve as the fundamental glue holding human relationships together.

 

In the social impact sector, we constantly discuss terms like community, belonging, and human connection. Addressing complex social challenges goes far beyond engineering efficient services or selling ethical products. At its core, social innovation is about repairing frayed social ties and cultivating an ecosystem where people feel seen, supported, and capable of living together.

 

In a society where the elderly poverty rate remains among the highest in the OECD, holidays serve as a crucial reminder to check in on vulnerable, isolated neighbors. Furthermore, social and solidarity economy (SSE) organizations play an indispensable role throughout the year, acting as a structural safety net that mends these disconnected spaces.

 

Tomorrow, I will visit my parents and travel alongside them to pay respects at my late grandparents' resting place. It will not be an extraordinary or lavish holiday, but rather a quiet, deeply grounding slice of everyday life—because simply being in the presence of family carries irreplaceable value.

 

Reflecting on Chuseok from within Korea's daily rhythm brings me back to the foundational ethos of changemaking: mutual care, belonging, and connection.

 

🍎🍌🍈Does your country or culture have a special holiday or community gathering that brings people back into genuine connection?


👉👉Read related articles

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