By Margareth Theresia
Video = Official YouTube channel of Andong Maskdance Festival

Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), one of Korea's two biggest holidays, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar as a time to celebrate the year's harvest and express gratitude to ancestors. Families and relatives gather to perform ancestral rites, share food and strengthen their bonds.

Along with Seollal (Lunar New Year), Chuseok is deeply rooted in Korean life and more recently has offered the opportunity for travel. In addition to people returning to their hometowns, many others travel to destinations nationwide to enjoy the fall scenery and regional culture.

For expats with no relatives in Korea or visitors during Chuseok, how should they spend the holiday, which is four days this year from Sept. 24-27. Rather than stay at home or their hotels, they can head out of the Seoul metropolitan region to see mask dances, autumn flowers, illuminated sites of national heritage and dinosaurs in the provinces.

A sea of sangsahwa (red spider lilies) colors Bulgapsa Temple in Yeonggwang-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province. (Korea Tourism Organization)

World-uniting gala: Andong Maskdance Festival

Want to experience the excitement of traditional performing arts? Head to Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, for this year's Andong Maskdance Festival from Sept. 24, the first day of Chuseok, through Oct. 4 in historic downtown Andong and Talchum Park.

This global celebration of movement features mask dances from Korea and abroad in one place.

Talchum (mask dance), which is on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, will be presented alongside those of other countries. The variety of community-oriented programs will include performances, parades, festive gatherings and the Global Mask Dance Challenge.

Sea of red flowers: Yeonggwang Bulgapsan Sangsahwa Festival

Those seeking the serene charm of contemplation while admiring autumn flowers and the atmosphere of an old Buddhist temple should visit Yeonggwang-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province, for the Yeonggwang Bulgapsan Sangsahwa Festival. The event is slated from Sept. 18-27 in and around Bulgapsa Temple.

Known as the red spider lily in English, sangsahwa gets its name from the belief that its flowers and leaves bloom at different times and can never meet. With the flowers to turn the foothills of Bulgapsan Mountain crimson, visitors can savor the tranquil fall scenery of a Korean autumn while walking on trails winding through a carpet of the red flowers.

Korean Heritage Media Art illuminates Gyeongju Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. (Website of Visit Korean Heritage Campaign) 

Fusion of history and light: Korean Heritage Media Art

Korean Heritage Media Art comes alive after sunset, with this evening event combining light, video and music against the backdrop of national heritage sites.

Programs at Gyeongju Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do Province, run through Sept. 27, while that around Jeongnimsa Temple Site in Buyeo-gun County, Chungcheongnam-do Province, ends on Sept. 27. The Goryeogung Palace Site on Incheon's Ganghwa-do Island is hosting an event until Oct. 4, and the headquarters of the Cheorwon Korean Workers' Party in Cheorwon-gun County, Gangwon-do Province, has one through Oct. 11.

Ancient tombs, former temple sites, the ruins of a Goryeo palace and locations associated with modern history will each be transformed into stages of light. The event at the party headquarters is closed Tuesdays and Chuseok Day (Sept. 25).

Exciting family adventure: Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo

The Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo promises a great time for families and children. This year's edition's from Sept. 22 through Nov. 1 will be held in Goseong-gun County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, a global landmark for dinosaur footprint fossils.

Under the theme "Exciting Adventure with Dinosaurs," the event is a journey into the world of the ancient creatures through parades, circus performances, themed exhibitions and live shows featuring robot versions of dinosaurs.

This is a dinosaur parade at last year's Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo in Goseong-gun County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. (Goseong Culture and Tourism Foundation)

margareth@korea.kr