"Why Bother Cooking Jeon? Buying Is Easier"... Fewer Than 3 in 10 Households Hold Chuseok Ancestral Rites

Chuseok Rites Drop by 13 Percentage Points in a Year
Rising Preference for Convenience Meals and Imported Fruits During the Holidays

The scene of the whole family gathering to fry jeon and prepare the Chuseok ceremonial table is quickly disappearing. With the spread of nuclear families, shifts in values, and rising prices, even the households that still perform ancestral rites on Chuseok are increasingly turning toward practical and simplified approaches rather than strictly adhering to tradition.

At Yesoheon in Eunpyeong Hanok Village, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation introduced traditional Charye table settings and ceremonial rites at the 2023 Chuseok Charyesang demonstration event. Photo by Yonhap News

Changing Holiday Customs: Tables Becoming as Simple as Possible

This year, the percentage of households planning to perform Chuseok ancestral rites dropped sharply from 40% to about 27%, marking a significant decline in just one year.

Examples of traditional holiday table settings. Government website

According to the "2026 Chuseok Peak Season Major Fruit Purchase Behavior and Supply Outlook" survey conducted by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) of 1,000 consumers nationwide on September 20, only 27.3% of households responded that they planned to perform ancestral rites this year. As for the location, "the parents' home" accounted for 51.3%, exceeding half and showing a similar trend to previous years. 21.2% said their own home, 18.7% said a relative’s house, and 7.7% cited a cemetery or family association facility.

Among households observing the rite, over half (50.9%) said they are "simplifying the ceremonial table." In contrast, only 20.1% said they would prepare the table according to strict traditional customs. The rest responded that they would either focus on foods the family enjoys or mix homemade dishes with store-bought products.

"Ingredient Costs Alone Easily Exceed 300,000 Won"... Sighs Amid Soaring Grocery Prices

The primary reason behind this trend is undoubtedly the relentless surge in grocery prices. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the retail price of a zucchini has soared to 2,279 won—a nearly 48% increase from last year. Eggs, essential for making jeon, now cost 4,194 won for a pack of 10, up 10.2%, while international soybean oil prices have climbed by 39.9%. Consequently, the cost of preparing the Chuseok ceremonial table for a family of four (based on purchases from traditional markets) is 303,750 won, up 4.1% from last year.

On September 18, 2026, one week before the Chuseok holiday, citizens are shopping at Sangmu Friday Market in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeonnam Province. Photo by Yonhap News.

Choi, a 53-year-old office worker, remarked, "Just the ingredients for galbijjim, japchae, and jeon easily exceed 400,000 won, which is quite a burden. Especially when it comes to songpyeon for Chuseok, since making them is a hassle, it's more reasonable to buy them in advance and freeze them." He added, "Besides the holiday table, food expenses to host relatives and miscellaneous home repair costs are also substantial."

The composition of ritual offerings has also changed noticeably. The share of households saying they would place imported fruit on the ceremonial table reached 38.8%, an increase from last year. Among imported fruits, bananas (61.3%) were the most popular, followed by imported grapes (46.2%) and oranges (23.6%). Among domestic fruits, apples (97.4%) and pears (96.0%) were considered essential items, followed by sweet persimmons (60.4%), grapes (45.4%), and tangerines (25.6%).

'Convenient Holiday Meals' Boom Shakes Up the Retail Scene

This shift is directly reflected in the retail sector's performance. At Emart, sales of Chuseok-ready meal kits such as jeon and tteokgalbi have risen 14.7% year-on-year. At major retailers like Lotte Mart and Kurly, sales of ready-to-eat meals have also increased across the board. In response, Emart has begun offering pre-order services for assorted jeon platters through its app in an effort to capture early demand.

Jeon for ancestral rites is being sold at a store in Mangwon Market, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun of The Asia Business Daily.

Social perceptions of holiday culture have also changed significantly. A 32-year-old SNS user surnamed Yoon shared, "For several years now, our family hasn't gathered during the Chuseok holiday itself. Instead, we visit ancestors' graves the week before, which has brought peace to the household. On Chuseok, both parents and children enjoy their own free schedules—resting or traveling—and our relatives get together separately for a meal once or twice a year."

The Korea Rural Economic Institute summarized the survey findings by stating, "The number of households preparing ceremonial tables has dropped sharply compared to last year, and among those that still perform rites, a clear trend toward simplification has emerged." As the meaning of holidays is increasingly refocused on "practicality and relaxation," the trend toward streamlined holiday tables and preference for convenient meal kits is expected to continue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.