When people think of Chuseok, one of Korea’s biggest traditional holidays, they often picture families gathering together around a large table filled with holiday food.
And, of course, there is songpyeon.
These small half-moon-shaped rice cakes are probably one of the foods most closely associated with Chuseok.
But there was no songpyeon on our table this year.
There was no big family gathering either.
This Chuseok, for personal reasons, we couldn’t be away from home. So instead of traveling or making elaborate holiday plans, the four of us — my husband, our two children and I — spent a quiet Chuseok at home.
It might not look like the traditional Korean holiday you see in travel guides.
But this was our real Chuseok.
A Chuseok Table Without Songpyeon
Our holiday meal was fairly simple.
Some of the food came from my mother-in-law, and some I made myself at home.
My mother-in-law sent us baechu kimchi, green onion kimchi and yangnyeom gejang.
Green onion kimchi, or pa-kimchi, is made by seasoning whole green onions with a spicy kimchi mixture.
It has a stronger flavor than many other types of kimchi, and it was one of the side dishes on our Chuseok table.
She also sent us yangnyeom gejang — raw crab seasoned with a spicy sauce.
And, of course, there was kimchi.
This baechu kimchi, made with napa cabbage, also came from my mother-in-law.
I like that part of our Chuseok table.
Even though we stayed home this year, food from another member of the family still found its way to our table.
What I Made at Home
I prepared two dishes myself.
One was tuna jeon.
Jeon is often translated simply as a Korean pancake, but it can refer to many different ingredients that are pan-fried, often after being mixed with or coated in egg and other ingredients.
For ours, I made tuna jeon at home.
I also made jjimdak, a Korean-style braised chicken dish.
That became the main dish of our meal.
The food was not prepared to create a perfect traditional Chuseok table.
It was simply what our family ate that day.
And I think that is worth showing too.
But What About the Kids?
For my husband and me, spending a quiet holiday at home was fine.
But we have two children, ages 12 and 10.
I started to think that a Chuseok spent entirely at home might feel a little too boring for them.
There was no trip.
There was no big family gathering.
So we decided to make our own entertainment at home.
The four of us sat down together and played Blue Marble, a classic Korean board game based around buying properties and traveling around a game board.
Soon, our quiet Chuseok was not quite so quiet anymore.
There were dice being thrown, properties being bought and the usual family competition that comes with a board game.
Later, we watched a movie together at home.
Nothing particularly grand happened.
But the children had something to enjoy, and the four of us had time together.
Does Every Korean Family Celebrate Chuseok the Same Way?
Probably one of the easiest ways to introduce Chuseok to someone outside Korea is through its traditions.
Family gatherings, holiday food and songpyeon are all important parts of the holiday.
But everyday life does not always fit perfectly into those descriptions.
Families have different circumstances.
Some people travel. Some visit relatives. Some prepare large holiday meals. Others spend the holiday more simply.
And sometimes plans are determined by the realities of everyday life.
Our family could not leave home this year.
So there was no long journey and no elaborate celebration.
There wasn’t even any songpyeon.
Instead, there was food sent by my mother-in-law, food I cooked myself, a board game with our children and a movie watched together at home.
It was a very ordinary kind of holiday.
Our Chuseok This Year
Looking back, I don’t think our children will remember whether there was songpyeon on the table.
Maybe they will remember who won at Blue Marble.
Maybe they will remember the movie we watched.
Or maybe none of those individual things will be particularly important.
What I hope they remember is simply that the four of us were together.
We ate.
We played.
We watched a movie.
And we spent the day at home as a family.
It was not a picture-perfect traditional Chuseok.
It was simply the Chuseok our family had this year.
And sometimes, I think that is enough.