Chuseok 2020: 3-Day Virtual Festival

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DAY 1: MUSIC PERFORMANCE BY THE EINE ENSEMBLE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 7:00 PM

With the theme of “memory, hometown, and autumn,” the Eine Ensemble will play popular folk songs from Korea and around the world.
Performers: Kim Young (flutist), Ahn Hyungsoo (guitarist), and Kim Sooji (pianist).

DAY 2: CRAFTS, GAMES, FOLK SONG & FOLK TALE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 7:00 PM

Various video montages on making crafts, playing games, singing folk songs, and telling folk tales are prepared by several families from the St. Louis metropolitan community.

DAY 3: KOREAN MARTIAL ARTS, K-POP & SAMULNORI
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH, 7:00 PM

K-pop dance performance, Korean martial arts demonstration, and Samulnori drumming will be performed.

ACCESSING THE EVENTS

The programming for Day 1 and Day 2 will be accessible via GKF’s YouTube channel. A direct event link for each day can be found on each of the above pages. No sign-up is required to view the events, and they are all free to the public. There will also be a live chat during each event, where participants can interact with one another and ask questions.

Day 3 will shine a light on three local organizations enriching the St. Louis community with an appreciation for the Korean culture. Individual video presentations of their performances will be presented on their YouTube channels (not GKF’s channel). Please visit each channel to enjoy the performances provided for our Chuseok Festival.

While we are excited to celebrate with the community virtually this year, we look forward to seeing you all again in person next year to enjoy Chuseok together.

Chuseok Planning Committee:

  • Chair: Han Ko

  • Committee Members: Seungkwon You, Kathy Hawkinson, Young-Hie Kromm

  • Photography: Lauren Janoski, Chris Ching, Young-Hie Kromm, John Hoffman

  • Graphics: Jung-Sue Kim, Young-Hie Kromm, David Stevenson

  • Video Editing (Friday program only): KRJ Planning and Research

  • YouTube Management: Lauren Janoski

The Thursday program is sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago.

WHAT IS CHUSEOK?

Chuseok, which is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, consists of thanksgiving services in which newly harvested crops and fruits are offered to the ancestral spirits. Generally held to be as important as the Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok is when family members gather together and hold a ritual with newly harvested crops and fruits to give thanks to their ancestors and to nature. As it falls in the harvest season, a time of abundance, Chuseok even comes with a saying: “Not more, not less. Just be like Hangawi,” Hangawi being another name for Chuseok.

Chuseok and Songpyeon - During the mid-autumn holiday of Chuseok (15th day of the 8th lunar month), families gather together and make songpyeon (half-moon shaped rice cakes).

Chuseok and Songpyeon - During the mid-autumn holiday of Chuseok (15th day of the 8th lunar month), families gather together and make songpyeon (half-moon shaped rice cakes).