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A ripe, full moon rises over golden rice fields as the delicious smell of songpyeon, of sesame oil and comfort, wafts from every kitchen in the village. All the women in town join hands beneath the moonlight, the endless circle of their dance signaling the connection between each other. Korea’s traditional holiday, Chuseok, was once all about this sense of oneness. Sadly, much of it was lost as time passed and society changed—some Koreans even began to see the centuries-old holiday as nothing but a source of stress.


Chuseok used to be an event the entire village participated in together. On this day, families paid their respects to their ancestors, tended to their graves, and headed back among their neighbors to play games and celebrate together. However, the holiday has begun to slowly lose its meaning and identity in modern times. Many people who lived in the countryside left to pursue opportunities in urban areas during the 1970s, where individualism was swiftly overtaking its residents; as the influx of people began to settle into city life, their values changed. Being in touch with family and the community began to lose importance as competition was heightened and society began to run out of jobs. 

Many people, especially those of the younger generation, began to think Chuseok just was not worth the trouble of celebrating with the extended family; a survey hosted by Alba Cheonguk last year showed that respectively 24.9 percent and 32.9 percent of the students and job-seekers that participated had no plans to attend family gatherings during Chuseok. Getting in touch once more with one’s roots is becoming a burden for the youth of Korea, and more and more people are indeed spending the holiday alone.

Scrutiny, Self-Esteem and Problems with Society
One of the biggest reasons young adults spend Chuseok alone is the appraising eye of relatives—being asked about accomplishments is something of a ritual during Chuseok. However, the stress of being measured by members of one’s own family is great. According to Professor Kim Jong Woo (Psychiatry, Kyung Hee University), this problem is compounded by the already low self-esteem that is widespread among Korea’s youths today; self esteem can actually take a hit after a Chuseok family gathering. Those around marrying age and those who are seeking jobs also find facing relatives to be an ordeal. The expectations of their own parents pertaining to these issues are pressing enough, but having to face the same pressure from many more relatives on a holiday is just too much for some; unable to cope with the stress, they choose to forego Chuseok visits altogether.
 
   
▲ Professor Kim Jong Woo explaining about Chuseok-related stress. Photographed by Kim Ji Won.
 
Some willingly choose not to visit their family, but others do so with reluctance. The life of a Korean young adult in the 21st century is not an easy one. The Korea National Statistical Office’s (KOSTAT) report shows that youth unemployment was as high as 9.7 percent in May. With job prospects looking bleak, individuals are under great pressure to excel at school and build up qualifications for jobs. When Chuseok arrives, they are faced with a choice—should they make a long, tiring trip to see their family, or should they put off the visit and work themselves harder to try and secure their future? All things considered, choosing the latter would seem wiser; many actually do.

Although the reasons for its prevalence are understandable, this trend of staying home alone at Chuseok is not a desirable one. “The meaning of Chuseok has always been familial love and spirit of community—its essential function is to connect people,” emphasized Professor Choe Kwang-shik (Korean History). Remaining detached from one’s roots effectively takes away the whole point of Chuseok. The holiday also happens to be one of the few opportunities for younger and older generations of Korea to interact with one another. If spending Chuseok in solitude becomes the norm, Korea will lose a culturally and practically important aspect of itself. The core characteristics of Korea’s unique and literally centuries-old tradition will have disintegrated, and chances to bridge the generational gap will have been diminished.

Restoring Chuseok
It is clear that Chuseok needs to be restored to its original state. Larger entities such as local governments could be of help in this regard; “They could come up with special programs that everyone in the vicinity could participate in,” suggested Choi. Indeed, those programs could help young adults both shake off stress and grow closer to their family as they join in the festivities together. Daechi-myeon, Chungyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do hosted such an event; visiting families and their Chungyang relatives alike enjoyed Korean traditional games together on September 23, 2015, and a singing competition was held afterwards on that same day. Activities such as these could eventually pave the way for a supportive and empathetic family relationship.
 
   
▲ Professor Choe Kwang-shik emphasizing the meaning of Chuseok. Photographed by Kim Ji Won.
 
This is a crucial step to dispelling solitary Chuseok celebrations, because only through an open relationship can the problem of excessive comparing and silent pressure that takes place so often on Chuseok be solved. Owing to vestiges of Confucianism, it is often difficult for young adults tovoice their objections toward this problem. Add that to the often distant relationship between young Koreans and their relatives, and it becomes clear that an external event to open up the two parties may be needed in order to help young adults relax about Chuseok visits. Individual effort is not enough; sometimes interventions are needed.

Long ago, when living life was simpler, Chuseok naturally was a time of healing, both physically and emotionally, as a community came together to rejoice and reconnect. Now, all of Korea needs to work together to preserve that precious function as times grow harder and Chuseok begins to turn into a solitary affair. Spending it alone saps opportunities for strengthening and perhaps repairing familial bonds; this should not become a new tradition with Chuseok, and only the efforts of individual and society combined will be able to prevent it.
 
   
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