Korea's two most significant national holidays — Chuseok (the harvest festival, equivalent in cultural weight to North American Thanksgiving) and Seollal (Lunar New Year) — involve mass migration events that affect the entire country. During these periods, which each last several days, Seoul essentially empties as people return to their family hometowns, and rural regions fill with family gatherings centered on ancestral rites, traditional food preparation, and a set of cultural practices that have been maintained with remarkable continuity for hundreds of years. For visitors, these holidays present both an opportunity — the city's main tourism sites are unusually quiet — and a logistical challenge, since transportation must be booked weeks in advance and many businesses close. This piece covers the major holidays, their significance, and what planning around them looks like.