Sep 27, 2015
Chuseok 2015
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Once a year, Koreans flock from the big city to visit their ancestral hometowns to celebrate Chuseok, a time of thankfulness and memorial. Along with friends and family, they dedicate the next three days to celebrating the harvest with traditional feasts of songpyeon and hangwa, rice wines like dongdongju, and games and dances like Ssireum and Ganggangsullae.
Like other autumn equinox festivals across the world, Koreans spend Chuseok giving thanks for the good things in their lives. It’s also a time to venerate ancestors whose spirits watch over the living. After a morning memorial service and a special feast (Charye), the people of Korea honor their ancestors by visiting their gravesites (Seongmyo) and tidying up the surrounding area (Beolcho).
Created by Kevin Laughlin, today’s Doodle illustrates the vibrant variations of songpyeon, rice cakes stuffed with beans and nuts and steamed over pine needles. Songpyeon is typically the centerpiece of Chuseok feasts, garnishing the celebration with fragrance and color.
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