“No more, no less, may Hangawi [another name for Chuseok] be just
as it should be.”
Since Chuseok is the season when the five grains ripen and
everything is plentiful, Koreans prepare food and hold ancestral rites with utmost
sincerity in gratefulness for the good harvest of the people.
However, North Korea places a heavier emphasis on “national
holidays” such as the anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s
birth [April 15th] and the anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s
birth [February 16th] rather than
folk holidays such as New Years and Chuseok. North Korea had rejected Chuseok
under the reasoning that was a vestige of feudalism and went against the
socialist lifestyle. Then, only in 1988 did North Korea designate Chuseok as an
official holiday.
Despite tendencies for the North Korean authorities to “look
down on” folk holidays, the people visit their ancestors’
graves and hold ceremonial rites at all costs. Additionally, they enjoy folk
games with their neighbors and are no different from South Koreans in
reflecting on the meaning of the holiday through activities such as wishing for
health and peace on the full moon.
In greeting the largest folk holiday, Chuseok, the Daily NK
met with Kim Ok (56·Pseudonym), who defected from North
Korea early this year, in order to discuss topics such as North Korea’s
Chuseok atmosphere and North Koreans’ thoughts on the meaning of
Chuseok.
Daily NK [DNK]: What do North Koreans do on Chuseok morning?
Mr. Kim Ok [KO]: Unlike South Korea, where people visit
graves after holding ancestral rites, everyone in North Korea, except for a
select few, hold the ancestral rites right at the graves instead of at home.
This is because of thoughts that you will receive “bad
luck” if you touch the food before you visit the grave.
However, as the authorities don’t concern themselves with
ceremonies of the people, there have been a lot of families that have started
to just do their own thing. Recently, there are even families who hold
ancestral rites at midnight in the home.
Since most people in North Korea don’t
have their own personal car, it’s quite a bizarre sight to
see the large groups of bicycles going to the graves. Women definitely ride
bicycles and sometimes men catch rides from passing cars. However, in the case
that you see someone in a car, you can assume that they’re
Party cadres, as service cars don’t work on that day. Since the
ancestors’ graves are all over the place and the times don’t
match, it’s hard for them to make money.
DNK: What do North Koreans prepare when going to ancestors’
graves?
KO: In the past when we had special rations for Chuseok, we
made sure to take the alcohol given by the authorities, but now that we don’t
have rations, there are a lot of instances of taking several personally-prepared
side dishes. I heard some people specially prepare and take foods that were
enjoyed by the deceased while they were living.
DNK: According to the Rodong Shimun, the daily
propaganda publication of the Chosun Workers’ Party, people laid flowers
at the respective statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on their birthdates,
national holidays. What about for Chuseok?
KO: Generally, the people are not mobilized to lay flowers
at the statues during Chuseok. This is also true for the Democratic Women’s
Union. However, Party cadres who work for the Chosun Workers’ Party or for
other state institutions must lay wreaths and flowers at the Revolutionary
Martyrs’ Cemetery in Daesung Mountain and the Shimiri Patriotic Martyrs’
Cemetery.
It’s well known that people such as the
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s
Assembly [Kim Young Nam] and the Cabinet Prime Minister [Park Pong Ju] must specially
pay respects to the graves of Kim Jong Il’s great-grandparents Kim Bo
Hyun and Lee Bo Ik, as well as those of his grandparents Kim Hyung Sik and Kang
Ban Sok every year on the morning of Chuseok.
DNK: The holidays are a time to chat with family members and
share well-wishing remarks. What about in North Korea?
KO: Because North Korea does not have the freedom to travel,
it is not easy for family members to gather. But following the authorities’
measure to allow travel to the countryside during Chuseok even without a yearly
pass, visits to graves have been taking place vigorously. Recently, the people
that are better off are able to meet family members during visits to graves.”
DNK: What sort of games do people play during Chuseok?
Since North Korea does not have much of an entertainment
culture like that of South Korea, in most cases, people play traditional games
such as Yut Nori [ Korean board game]
or hacky sack with the neighborhood people. Also, a lot of
younger people have been going to billiard halls lately and there are some
families that play card games at home.
DNK: In South Korea, many movies are televised for Chuseok.
What about North Korea?
KO: Just as special movies are televised in South Korea during the holidays,
Chinese or Russian movies are televised in North Korea during Chuseok.
Recently, smuggled CDs and DVDs are in wide circulation and
there are people who secretly watch South Korea dramas, but because the reality
of North Korea is that it is normally difficult to watch South Korean movies in
theatres or at home, you could say that in North Korea, Chuseok is a day when
we can really watch South Korean movies all night long.
DNK: South Korea makes songpyeon, small rice cakes stuffed
with various fillings, on Chuseok. What kind of food do North Koreans make?
KO: I was surprised to see people here (South Korea) buying
and eating songpyeon. There are also some instances of making songpyeon in
North Korea but for people that lack food, they try to fully eat meat at least on
that day.
Like South Korea, they also have the belief that “making
pretty songpyeon will give you a pretty daughter” but
recently they’ve stopped placing significance on
the absolute need to make songpyeon.
DNK: Are there special rations organized by the authorities?
KO: In the past, they provided special food during Chuseok.
But after the famine in the 1990s, all talk of specials rations completely
vanished.
In this situation, people have prepared food for ancestral
rites on their own. There are probably differences between different regions
but in South Pyongan Province, the ancestral rites have food such as pork, rice
cakes, kebabs, greens, fish, dried squid, rice cooked from the new crop, salad,
and apples. “
DNK: Are there any special ceremonies held only during
Chuseok?
KO: The ancestral rite to give thanks to ancestors and
visits to the graves are the most important for Chuseok in North Korea. In
South Korea, they say they have activities like dancing the Ganggangsullae [
traditional folk dance performed under the full moon]to pray for a year of good
harvest, wrestling, and cow fights but North Korea enjoys these activities during
Dano [5th day of 5th year by Lunar calendar].
DNK: What does Chuseok mean to the people?
KO: For the people, Chuseok has the meaning of being a
genuine holiday free of the oppressions of the North Korean system such a supreme
leader, loyalty, or indoctrination sessions. Just like in South Korea, many
people in North Korea greet Chuseok with hearts aflutter and full of joy. Many make wishes on the full moon of the
Chuseok night; so you could say that Chuseok is a rare day for the whole family
to gather and talk of comfort and happiness.
