Still, it’s Chuseok

N-Seoul Tower

You are slowly walking up the stairs to the N-Seoul tower with warm sunlight. Stopping for a moment, when you turn around, you can see the whole view of Seoul. It looks like the city is in your small hand, and even touch the small houses from street to street. For every Chuseok, you stick on the road with lots of cars, but now you are watching those tiny ant-like cars from the mountain with a relaxed face.

Starting up the stairs again, you can hear the laughter of passing people: a woman who is taking a walk with her dog, a big family who took their grandparents and great-grand parents together to the mountain, and couples from various countries. You can feel various types of Chuseok nearby your skin.
One impressive family that you remember, while climbing up the stairs, is a family with a young boy who seems to be disabled. Even there are a hundred or more steps in front of them, they seem like the happiest family at that moment. You wonder how they could be happy that much, and just think that it will be really hard to climb up the stairs. Then, you hear their short conversation.

"Should we just take the cable-car from here, darling? Aren't you tired?"
"NOPE. I'm totally fine. I want to finish these stairs and watch the N-Seoul Tower just by myself. Without any vehicles, mom. This isn't a normal day. Right?"
"Haha. That's right. Let's go up. You can do it !!"

You finally realize what is the most important thing. Just spending time with your precious people, especially family. That's happiness, and that's Chuseok. 

You hold the Songpyeon, which you made last night, climbing up the endless stairs again and again.

Songpyeon that I made this Chuseok

On a scale from 1 to 10 in terms of a new atmosphere, I’d rate my Chuseok a 9. Since I was a very young kid, I visited my grandparents (my dad’s hometown) in Daegu for every single holiday like Chuseok, birthdays, and New Year’s Day. Every time I visit there, we should ride the car for 6 hours or more than that. For those 6 hours, all I can see are many cars struggling on the road together cars, cars, and just cars. Even if the air conditioner and the air purifier were on, it felt like no air was cycling.

However, this Chuseok is different. I am at the top of the mountain, no roads, no cars, just people and opened- blue sky. We still cooked some traditional food for Chuseok, but we did much less food than before. Just two types of pancakes, beef, and Songpyeon. Even with less food, it is still Chuseok, and still meaningful because I am spending time with my family, dog, and my grandparents in Seoul (my mom’s hometown).

I can still enjoy my holiday, with traditionality, and but with a different, new, free atmosphere instead of sticking on the road in traffic jams.

Walking back to the parking lot, you are walking up the stairs again with the bright moonlight. Compared to the last Chuseok, there are fewer family members who are enjoying Chuseok together this year since you didn’t visit Daegu. Still, the value of this holiday is the same as last year.

Spending time with precious people, eating delicious foods together, talking about each other’s daily life, and having an enjoyable time with family- the meaning and value of Chuseok and the annual holiday should be focused on those things. And actually, you feel that the way people and society spend holidays is changing in many ways culturally, and focusing on new values instead of just making many foods just for Charye (ancestral rites held early in the morning on New Year's Day and Chuseok). 

Climbing up the stairs, you see a happy and harmonious family, the other family who are making a wish to the full moon, and a family who talk together and play games. By meeting lots of families spending holidays in their own way, you know that even if the way they spend the time is different, today is Chuseok for everyone.