Chuseok (추석, 秋夕) is the Korean Thanksgiving that occurs over a weekend in September or early October. It is generally three days and often combines with the weekend to produce a five-day holiday, but if it happens to fall on the weekend then the total is a mere three days, as was the case in 2005. Roads during Chuseok are extremely crowded and any travel should be arranged well ahead of time. Those who intend to go anywhere by car would be well advised to get up and leave in the middle of the night, even 2 or 3 a.m. A simple drive from Seoul to Busan for example during the holiday can take around 12 to 20 hours, not to mention the fact that one also has to pay to drive on the highway. Koreans still brave the traffic because of the tradition of going back to one's home in the country including visiting the graves of deceased relatives, which is not something one can just ignore.
During the holiday nearly everything is closed, similar to Christmas Day in western countries. Convenience stores, Starbucks and other coffee shops are open however. Cash machines will often be drained of cash as most Koreans will make a big withdrawal just before the long holiday and as the banks do not open until the next week, those who are not careful will find themselves out of cash for three to five days. Roads in the cities during Chuseok can be eerily quiet.
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