Significance of ceremonial information
Ancestral rites are the least we can do to honor our deceased ancestors and repay their kindness. They are an extension of our unfulfilled filial piety, and they are also a part of our nation's spiritual culture.
Ancestral rites are also a ritual to confirm one's roots and deeply engrave the foundation of life. Through such rituals, one seeks the blessings of ancestors and learns about the traditions and spirit of one's family.
In addition, by gathering relatives with the same roots and fostering harmony and friendship, it also reduces the negative effects of the disconnected nuclear family culture of modern society.
Ancestral rites are a culture our ancestors have long preserved and developed. Through rituals, we can embody the spirit of our ancestors and experience it deeply. This also serves as a way to pass on our culture, which has endured for thousands of years, to future generations.
Therefore, our traditions of subordination and culture must be passed down and developed through ancestral rites.
Ancestral rites are also a reality of our society. We live within them, performing ancestral rites, large and small. As evidenced by the throngs of people returning home on traditional holidays like Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Chuseok), the majority of our people still return to their hometowns each year to perform ancestral rites. It is said that no other people in the world revere ancestral rites as much as our people. Therefore, ancestral rite culture is the essence of our traditional culture and a precious cultural heritage worthy of preservation.
While ancestral rites emphasize the heart of the deceased more than the complex formalities, their obscurity stems from a weakening of respect for ancestors due to modern culture. This ritual, then, serves as a way to remember the memory and atone for the unfilial piety of those who failed to provide adequate care during their lifetime. Developing a more progressive mindset and respect for one's ancestors is a profoundly meaningful and instructive act.
Even if it's just one anniversary a year, we should observe it with courtesy as a gesture of gratitude.
Local writing
A shinwi (spiritual tablet) made by writing a local character on paper. For ancestral rites or memorial rites, paper cut to the size of the shinju is usually placed on the tablet, and the ritual written on the tablet's sides is followed. The tablet is then placed and burned after the ceremony. According to Yi Eung-jin's (李應辰) "Yeui Sokjip (禮疑續輯)", the local character appears in the sub-rites among the funeral procedures. Sub-rites are the procedure of placing the shinju at the ancestral shrine after the funeral, and there are three cases in which the local character is used instead of the tablet: first, when the sub-rites are held at the home of the eldest grandson; second, when the ancestral home is far away; and third, when the eldest grandson is young and appoints a representative to perform the sub-rites. If the person had a government position, write the position. If the person did not have a government position, write “Hyeonjogo (顯祖考)” or “Hyeongohaksaengbugunsinwi (顯考學生府君神位).”
1) How to make fat
≫ Fold a piece of white paper (2 ja long * about 60cm) and 2 ja 6 chi (about 78cm) into 12 sections, numbering the 11 folded lines from 1 to 11 from the right. Fold lines 1 and 2 from the right to the left, overlapping them, then skip line 3 and fold the left side to the right using line 4 as a guide. Fold line 5 to the left again, and you will see lines 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. Flip this over as is and fold line 6 over to the left, leaving lines 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. Fold the dotted lines above and below, fold lines 8 and 10 to the right again, and then tuck line 11 in to complete the piece. Do not fold the circled lines.
≫ Replace with a modern photo of the deceased or attach a modern inscription. The inscription is written in ink on a piece of Korean paper or white paper measuring approximately 6 cm wide and 22 cm long.
2) View fat samples
Presentation procedure
① Enshrinement of the spirit tablet
A white sheet of paper is laid out on the ancestral tablet, offerings are placed on it, and then local paper is applied. The priest burns incense, pours alcohol into the offering bowl, and the priest and attendants bow twice in unison before the ancestral tablet.
② First offering
This is the procedure for offering the first glass of wine to the deceased. Fill the glass, hold it with both hands, and place it in front of the deceased, between the rice and soup bowls, over the incense burner. The jeju may also do this alone, without a deacon. After offering the glass, bow twice.
③ Reading a blessing
After the first offering, the priest reads a congratulatory address and bows twice. During the reading, all attendees kneel, bow their heads slightly, and listen with reverent hearts.
④ A-heon (亞獻)
After the prayer is read, the housewife raises the second glass and bows four times.
⑤ Final offering
The Jeju relative raises the third glass of wine and bows twice.
⑥ Shovel
To pray for the ancestral rites to be served in abundance, spoons are placed in the rice and all participants bow their heads in silent prayer.
⑦ Offering tea
Replace the water (or cold water) with the soup, scoop up rice three times with a spoon, mix it with the water, then place the spoon neatly in the bowl of water, stand for a moment, and then get up.
⑧ God of Sa (辭神)
All the mourners bow deeply before the spirit tablet, offering a farewell message.
⑨ Iron bed
Collect the fat, burn it with a prayer, and take away the prize.
⑩ Drinking and happiness
The deceased share the sacrificial food. There is a popular belief that by drinking it, one receives blessings from their ancestors.
Setting the ancestral rite table
This is the table set when offering ancestral rites. The typical table setting is as follows. Jeotmae (freshly cooked white rice), soup (meat soup, fish soup, beef soup, etc.), jeok (meat stew, fish stew, tofu stew, etc.), galnap (jeonju), vegetables (bellflower root, gobi, bracken, mushrooms, etc.), po (beef jerky, dried fish, dried pollack, dried octopus, dried abalone, etc.), pyeon (baekpyeon, honey pyeon, seunggeomcho pyeon, mung bean pyeon, etc.), sikhye, boiled fruits (gangjeong and dasik), yakgwa, dried and fresh fruits (peaches are prohibited), jeju (cheongju), and in addition, gan-gang, soy sauce, honey, kimchi, etc. are displayed.
◆ Principle of presentation
≫ Jujube, Chestnut, Persimmon, and Pear: From left to right, in that order: Jujube, Chestnut, Persimmon, and Pear.
≫ Hongdo Baekseo (紅東白西): Red fruits in the east, white fruits in the west.
≫ Raw in the east, ripe in the west: Kimchi is from the east, vegetables are from the west.
≫ Sausage on the left, pickled seafood on the right: Sausage on the left, pickled seafood on the right.
≫ Fish to the east, meat to the west: Fish to the east, tail to the west.
≫ Dudongmiseo (head east, tail west): The fish's head faces east, and its tail faces west.
≫ Dry on the left, wet on the right: Dry things on the left, wet things on the right.
≫ Butterfly in the east, cup in the west: The plate is in the east, the cup is in the west.
≫ Left rice, right soup: Rice on the left, soup on the right.
≫ Male on the left, female on the right: The left side of the altar is male, and the right side is female.
- All columns to be displayed are 5 columns.
- The first row is a bowl for rice, soup, and alcohol.
- The second row is for fish and rice cakes, and the third row is for soup.
- The fourth row is meat and vegetables.
- As a tri-color vegetable, bracken, bellflower root, spinach, etc. are displayed, along with kimchi and soy sauce.
- Column 5 is the fault