Chuseok is one of the biggest and most important holidays in South Korea. Chuseok is also known as the Korean Thanksgiving Day, when people return to their ancestral hometowns to celebrate with their families, which compares similarly to the Thanksgiving of American culture.. To show appreciation for the fall food harvest, people participate in various traditional activities, such as eating Songpyeon, sending gift sets, and much more. Specifically, the folk games people play during Chuseok are one of the cultural activities that could bring families together while providing entertainment and joy.
Among the various traditional games played during Chuseok, one of the most popular is Ganggansullae. Ganggangsullae is a traditional dance in which women dressed in Hanbok make a circle and sing while moving around it. The performance involves Wonmu (clockwise spinning), walking, running, gatekeeper play (two women hold hands to create a gate while others pass through), and many other variations. Ganggangsullae is unique because women were originally not permitted to dance or sing loudly, resulting in such leisure activity being majorly male-dominated. However, during the Ganggangsulle or Chuseok games, women were able to express themselves through dancing and singing.
Yutnori is another popular traditional game played during Chuseok. To play the game, players use four yut (윷), a type of wooden stick with special engravings to represent movements, to move their tokens over a 29-dot board, where the first to complete the circuit wins. Depending on how the sticks are thrown, a token can be moved up to five dots at the same time. The game's logic is founded on Koreans' knowledge of the universe and astronomy. This game is unique due to the many variations that are always possible, in addition to its tools, board, and rules.
In addition to Ganggangsullae and Yutnori, Neolttwigi (널뛰기), or seesaw, is also a popular game during Chuseok. The game is simple: participants take turns leaping on either end of a wooden board while the middle is held up. Neolttwigi has numerous postures, including Gotchu Ttwigi (jumping with both legs stretched forward) and Gawibal Ttwigi (jumping with one leg spread forward and one backward). When an opponent falls off the board while performing the different jumping positions, the person who stays is the winner. The winner then stays on the board, waiting for a new challenger. Eventually, the overall winner is the one who is able to stand on the board until the end of the game.
Chuseok is by far the most significant and enjoyable holiday in South Korea. People not only participate in Ganggangsullae, Yutnori, and Neolttwigi, but there are many other fun games to be played during Chuseok. As a result, if you are a tourist planning to visit Korea during Chuseok, it is recommended that you visit traditional heritage sites and engage in the numerous Chuseok games.
Culture. “Enjoy Chuseok Holidays at National Museums : Korea.net : The Official Website of the Republic of Korea.” Korea.net, 2021, www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=140530. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.