The way people spend their Chuseok holidays is changing

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Let's talk more about Korea's thanksgiving holiday of Chuseok... as today is the day,... hence the reason I've swapped my typical suit for a hanbok.
The typical picture of Chuseok where the entire family gathers to perform ancestral rites is changing.
More people are choosing to spend the holidays... taking a family trip or spending time with friends.
Seo Eun-kyung reports.

The number of people traveling abroad during the Chuseok holiday season is likely to hit an all-time high,
with a projected 197 thousand passengers a day expected to pass through Incheon International Airport during the holidays according to Incheon International Airport Corporation. That's a 46% increase compared to 2011.

"I plan to travel abroad with my parents. I felt stressed out by the seemingly never ending preparations for Chuseok, but now Chuseok becomes a real holiday for me."

"I will spend time with my parents and close friends instead of seeing relatives whom I don't see very often."

And the changing composition of families has also affected how people see the traditional Chuseok holiday rituals.

Families these days come in different sizes. Some households are divorced or single. As such, traditional family events such as ancestral rites have lost relevance during holidays like Chuseok.

With this trend, an increasing number of people decide not to perform the ancestral rites.

Our family plans not to perform ancestral rites this year. Instead, my son and daughter in law will travel during the holiday and visit us on the last leg of their itinerary.

The expert says that even though modern Koreans spend less time with their families, that doesn't mean they care less. People now consider Chuseok to be more of a vacation rather than a time to follow traditions and ancestral duties. More people now spend the holidays strengthening emotional bonds between family members instead of seeking to fulfill traditional responsibilities to their ancestors.
Seo Eunkyung, Arirang News.

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