Chuseok or Hangawi is Korean Thanks Giving and is one of the biggest mid-autumn 3 days-holiday in Korea.
What Koreans usually do during Chuseok?
Usually Koreans they visit their hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food such as songpyeon 송편; yakgwa, fruits like Asian pear and rice wines such as sindoju 신도주 and dongdongju 동동주.
There are two major traditions related to Chuseok:
Charye (Korean: 차례; ancestor memorial services at home, also known as Jesa) where usually Koreans they cook traditional food and also bring fruits and alcohol and make a specific ancestor memorial at home, decoration varies by family.
Seongmyo (Korean: 성묘; family visit to the ancestral graves), which is usually accompanied by Beolcho (Korean: 벌초, tidying graves, removing weeds around them). That is why most of Koreans during this holiday they are visiting the eldest in their family, usually in country side where the graves of the family ancestors are also located.
(source:https://blog.naver.com/may0928/222511425327)
Another major custom is to prepare the family's ancestors their favorite meals as an offering for both Seongmyo and Charye.
Origins of Chuseok
Chuseok originates from gabae (Korean: 가배) which started during the reign of the third king of the kingdom of Silla (57 BC - 935 AD), when it was a month-long weaving contest between two teams.
On the day of Gabae, the team that had woven more cloth won and would be treated to a feast by the losing team. It is believed that weaving competitions, archery competitions, and martial arts demonstrations were held as part of the festivities.
Many scholars also believe Chuseok may originate from ancient shamanistic celebrations of the so called harvest moon.As during autumn is harvest time, new harvests are offered to local deities and ancestors, which means Chuseok may have originated as a worship ritual.In some areas, if there is no harvest, worship rituals are postponed, or in areas with no annual harvest, Chuseok is not celebrated.
(source: Wikipedia)
This year the Chuseok was celebrated on 9th of September and Koreans had holiday starting with 8th of September till 12th.
What Koreans eat during Chuseok?
There is a variety of traditional dishes that are usually eaten during Chuseok and among them we can talk about those mentioned above such as Songpyeon 송편 which is kind of rice cake made inside with ingredients such as sesame seeds, black beans, mung beans, cinnamon pine nut, walnut, chestnut, jujube, and honey which made them sweet. The word song in songpyeon means a pine tree in Korean because this dish is made by steaming them over a layer of pine needle leafs. The pine needles not only contribute to songpyeon's aromatic fragrance.
(source:https://blog.naver.com/no1ricecake/222863494238)
Hangwa also is one dish that is served during Chuseok and is a term used to categorize sweet foods made with rice cake or tteok ( 떡). It is an artistic food decorated with natural colors and textured with patterns.
(source:https://blog.naver.com/jieuna39/220486176360)
Alcoholic drinks are also served during Chuseok holiday and the specific Liquor drunk on Chuseok is called baekju (백주 meaning white wine) and nicknamed sindoju (신도주,literally "new rice liquor") as it is made of freshly harvested rice.
(source: https://blog.naver.com/ljy122677/221640352011)
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