Chuseok 2022

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Seoul-based guest artist ​​Dasom Yun, celebrates Chuseok (추석).  Also known as the full moon festival, this three-day holiday always begins on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. This year, September 10th marks the day when Koreans return to their ancestral hometowns and celebrate with loved ones. 

Chuseok, meaning autumn evening, originated from Korea’s past as an agricultural society. Whenever a full moon appears in a mid-autumn sky, it signals that the harvest season has ended—it’s now time to relax and thank their ancestors for an abundant harvest.

Traditionally, Koreans celebrate Chuseok with special meals and folk games. In the morning, many families hold a memorial service called charye to honor their ancestors with offerings like freshly harvested rice and songpyeon (bite-sized rice cakes). People also enjoy delicious meals with foods like jeon—a pancake-like dish that can be made with fish, meat or vegetables. In modern times, gift-giving has become a new way for Koreans to show their appreciation for relatives, friends and co-workers. 

Happy Chuseok, everyone!

Guest Artist Q&A with Dasom

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Seoul-based guest artist ​​Dasom Yun. Below, Dasom shares thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:
 

Q: What was your creative process for this Doodle artwork? (ie. research, artistic style or medium)

A: With the theme of Chuseok, an illustration emphasizing songpyeon was requested. While thinking about how to make an interesting illustration with Songpyeon as the main theme, I heard from my mom that her family used to gather together to make Songpyeon on Chuseok when she was young. So I thought it would be fun to show the process of making songpyeon. I researched the process of making songpyeon, ingredients, tableware, and clothing, and melted the process into the Google logo. In the case of the color chip, since Chuseok is an autumn holiday in Korea, brown, yellow, and red were mainly used to give an autumnal atmosphere.

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?  Are there specific elements of the artwork that have symbolic meaning? 

A: I was inspired by traditional Korean architecture and culture. The doors of traditional Korean houses are in the form of sliding doors, so they were placed on both sides and I wanted to give the impression that a story would pop out when the doors opened.

Early Drafts

Alt text: Black and white sketches of the Doodle illustration