Soompi Wishes Everyone Happy Chuseok!

This year, Chuseok falls on September 27. From Saturday until Tuesday, there will likely be less in the way of entertainment news, as this is one of the biggest holiday seasons of the year. Koreans use this time to visit their families’ hometowns, prepare and consume traditional meals, and hold memorial services for deceased relatives. It’s similar to the American Thanksgiving, but with a bigger focus on family and paying respects to the family.

It’s not all sweet rice cakes and colorful hanbok, however. Chuseok can actually be quite a stressful time for many Koreans, as the roads are jam-packed, trains and buses are sold out, and stores are crowded with shoppers trying to buy Spam gift sets for their parents. In particular, the traditional gender divide of Chuseok duties plays out in a most unpleasant way for married women, who are expected to spend the bulk of both major holiday seasons preparing food and cleaning, despite the fact that many of them hold full-time jobs. With all this in mind, it’s no wonder that more and more young couples and families are opting to bypass the traditional holidays. And that’s a great thing. While we appreciate the meaning behind Korean traditional rites, we also think that everyone deserves a vacation… including the Soompi staff!

Don’t worry! We’ll still be up and posting all the latest news, and our maknae battle will still be up and running. (Have you been voting for your faves?) But there won’t be as much news coming out during the holiday — we can only hope that it’s because our idols and actors are getting some much-needed rest and relaxation time!

Happy Chuseok!