Chusok:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Chusok is
August 15th in the lunar calendar. It is the full moon closest to
the autumn equinox and in archaic Korea was called hankawi meaning
'dividing the fall in half'. Because it
is determined by the lunar calendar, the date varies in the Gregorian calendar
from late September to mid-October. In
2021, Chusok falls on 21 September.
Chusok is
one of the biggest holidays of the year (together with Lunar New Year). It is a time of celebration. In traditional agrarian Korea, it was a time
of plenty. The rice harvest was in and
there was fresh fruit in abundance. The weather
is pleasant, warm, sunny and clear. It was also when families get together in
their home towns to pay respect to their ancestors and together enjoy the
abundance of fresh food. Chusok
remains an especially a good time for children, the elderly and the menfolk.
Children are indulged, the elderly enjoy their status and the men sit around and
watch TV.
Traditionally, it was another story for Korean women. Chusok was
a burden. The brunt of the chores fell on the shoulders of the woman of the
house who in turn enslaved her daughters-in-law. It was their job to see that all the (often
tedious) delicacies were prepared and the whims of the elderly and men were attended
to. The other daughters-in-law also carried their share but the eldest bore the
brunt. (We know a world renown
pediatrician who at Chusok found herself up to her elbows washing
cabbage and chopping garlic in her mother-in-law's kitchen like a common
servant!)
Young adults hated Chusok too. They
shuddered at running the gauntlet of personal questions hurled at them about marriage,
children or professional status. For the singles, it's usually "When are
you getting married?" Young couples were quizzed about their reproductive
plans. "When are you going to have
children?" Just when you think you were
safe, "How come you don't have a better job?" Young people of both
sexes were compared (unfavorably of course) to their peers: "Young-ju's
wife is pregnant!" "Hee-sung just got a job at Samsung; I hear it is
quite an important position!" "Kwan-sup just bought his parents a new
car!"
IRC has been advising Western companies on optimizing
their operations in Korea for four decades.
An important service is to coach foreign business executives to navigate
local cultural issues. Clients are advised to faithfully respect local customs.
Foreign business visitors who encroach on this holiday are warned that their trip
is likely to damage rather than enhance local relationships. "Chusok is sacred". We recall one year recently when Chusok
fell at the end of September and a global foreign financial firm was scheduled
for its quarterly closing; reports from all daughter companies were due by the
3rd of October. There were no exceptions. The European headquarters
had no sensitivity to Chusok. The local entity had no choice but to
require the accounting department to work through the holidays. We coached our client on effective
communication, dealing with objections and other tactics to mitigate
anticipated resistance. Contrary to
expectations, the accounting staff (which was primarily populated by young
women), rather than protesting was ecstatic.
What better excuse to avoid being a slave in the kitchen! "Sorry Mom,
I have to work."
It is important to be aware of tradition
and culture but Korea is changing rapidly so it is equally important to be alert
to and adjust to changes. Chusok remains an important holiday but the
celebration has evolved. The connection to the land is now separated by one or
two generations. The status of women has undergone a liberation. (Now, it seems that sometimes the men are the
slaves!) Households are smaller and the extended family is declining in
importance. Many Koreans opt to enjoy
their Chusok holiday by travelling abroad. Social distancing during the COVID-19
pandemic has made large gatherings more difficult.
Koreans are known to be diligent,
dedicated, hard-working people. While
this remains largely true, a wave of change is sweeping over the land. The new generations, be they X, Y or Z, increasingly
forge their own path. Stay tuned for our
next post to learn about SamPoJa (삼포자), the "three rejections" that
characterize young people today. When seeking to achieve your ambitious targets
in Korea, let IRC guide your way.
