The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is Ch'usok, or also known as the Harvest Moon Festival.

Koreans begin the day with rites honoring their ancestors. Offerings are made of newly harvested foods. Songp'yon, crescent-shaped rice cakes stuffed with sesame seeds, chestnut paste or beans, are a Ch'usok favorite.

Families visit the graves of their ancestors to bow and clean the area for the coming winter.

Activities for the day include masked dance, Kanggangsuwollae, an ancient circle dance, tug-of-war game and the tortoise game, kobuk-nori, in which two men dress as a tortoise and tour the village dancing and performing for food and drink.

Most of all, Ch'usok is a time to give thanks for the autumn harvest and reaffirm familial and community ties.

Thanksgiving in Korea people have Ttok (rice cakes) made with the newly harvested rice, and just-picked fruits and nuts such as persimmons, chestnuts, and Chinese dates are used in memorial services for ancestors when Koreans visit their ancestors' graves. Special foods eaten during Ch'usok are songp'yon, freshly picked fruit, toran-t'ang (taro soup) and song-i (mushrooms).

Chu Suk is a Korean Festival that takes place during the harvest season.

Families travel to their ancestral sites. Memorial services take place and visits of respect are made to the grave site of ancestors. After the Memorial services, there is a special meal to celebrate and be thankful for each other.

The night before Chu Suk is the time for Kang Kang Sue Wol Lae. Kang Kang Sue Wol Lae is a traditional ceremony where women gather in a circle and sing songs.

Other activities that take place during Chu Suk are wrestling, archery, singing folk music, and a game called turtle tag.

Altogether, Chu Suk is a time of feasting and happiness.