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These are two holidays on opposite poles. The first is an American holiday and the second is a Korean holiday.
Chuseok goes back to before the first century during the Shilla time. It was known as the Mid-Autumn festival of the fifteenth day of the eight month according to the Lunar calendar. Instead of moon cakes they eat special half moon shaped rice cakes called Songpyeon.
Most likely it originated from the shamanistic celebrations of the harvest moon. Today it is celebrated by a memorial rite to honor the ancestors. Part of the harvest is offered to remember the dead and then that food is eaten by the living. The time is shared by talking to those relatives that have passed away and keeping them up to date with the family news.
One of the things that surprised me is the sorrow and apologies I saw given to the ancestors for things like divorce in the family and kids who couldn't enter the college they wanted to. I'm pretty sure the ancestors are just happy their children are alive and don't expect much more than for their kids to be happy, but I wouldn't know. I've never seen these ancestors speak back.
As for American Thanksgiving it is a completely different holiday. It's celebrated on a much later date when people almost forgot about the harvest and are beginning to get very cold worrying about winter. It was a holiday demanding thanks regardless or not of the abundance we have. And over the years America has grown to have an abundance.
Americans don't bow down to ancestors instead they spend the day eating and watching football. At least there is some time dedicated to specifically give thanks for all they do have.
As far as I remember the biggest difference between Thanksgiving and Chuseok is I don't have to wake up at 6AM for Thanksgiving. Our family meetings were usually at 2pm and people started showing up at 3pm for a 5pm dinner. In Korea we are woken up bright and early to meet the ancestors and then share breakfast after they had eaten. In American the kids that are alive seem to be the star of the day.
American Turkey Photo by Jill Wellington Pixabay
The holidays of Chuseok and Thanksgiving are not the same. They have different origins and different meanings. The biggest similarity is they are both holidays that occur in the Fall. For Koreans the Chuseok holiday comes right before midterm exams. For Americans, Thanksgiving comes right before final exams. It is hard for college students to enjoy either of these holidays.
Personally I take a little bit of both. I enjoy the Korean food on Chuseok and I'm thankful for our family that worked hard to provide the food we eat. But when it comes to thanksgiving I am going to eat some Turkey and share thanksgiving topics with my family.
We live in two cultures. One is the culture of the country we have lived in for over twenty years and the other is my home culture influenced by American individualism and faith. I may be considered a hypocrite by some but I sincerely want to learn and live both cultures because I know there must be some value I can learn from this two thousand year old tradition of Chuseok.
Personally this Chuseok our whole family couldn't meet together because of Corona. We meet only my father-in-law and mother-in-law. We got to have some personal and deep conversations about life and death and help them in some practical ways. Somehow when the business of the season stopped the real heart of the close family opens up. Even my own sons enjoyed serving their grandparents in small ways in the garden and in the house.
I'm very thankful for the opportunity for them to see two cultures and participate in both. They are greater than me.
Happy Chuseok^^
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