Oct 04, 2017
Chuseok 2017
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today marks the start of Chuseok (also called Hangawi), the three-day autumnal harvest festival celebrated across Korea. On this day, families honor their ancestors by making food offerings (charye) and visiting ancestral graves (beolcheo and seongmyo).
Today’s Doodle showcases Korea’s rich culture through the panels of a traditional byungpoong. The first panel shows young children in the hanbok, Korea’s colorful national dress. The second panel depicts a persimmon tree, which symbolizes the importance of education and transformation and carries deep cultural significance in Korea. Half moon shaped sweet rice cakes called songpyeon (on the third panel) form part of the ritual ancestral offerings. Traditional games are a fundamental aspect of Chuseok celebrations. The remaining three panels depict the games of yut nori (a traditional board game), tuho (in which one throw sticks in a jar from a distance), and neolttwigi (which involves jumping high in the air on a seesaw).
On this important day of the autumn harvest, these traditions celebrate and honor the cornerstone of Korean life — family. Wishing everyone a Happy Chuseok!
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