November 28, 2008
Welcome: Korean Culture
Welcome to my blog.
I am Korean American. I was born in California and I grew up in Korea for 14 years, and also lived in Michigan for 6 year now. I plan to put entries that will help you know more about Korean culture. I hope you will enjoy!
If you want to know more about me as a person,
this link will take you to my personal blogspot page:
http://juliekwon.blogspot.com/
Posted by julikwon at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)
Chesa: Korean traditional ritual? or a religion?
Having born with the last name of ‘Kwon’ may explain a little bit about my family background. Kwon’s family is one of the most conservative in Confucianism (‘Yugyujeok’) amongst Korean family clans. My grandfather was not an exception. He put a heavy value on practicing ‘Chesa’ at least twice a year; lunar calendar’s New Year’s Day, and Thanksgiving Day in Korea. Occasionally my grandfather held ‘Chesa’ for my uncle who had passed away some years ago. When my grandfather passed away last year, my father was supposed to become the ‘Cheju,’ who leads ‘Chesa’ in the family. However, my dad and his rest of the siblings came to a conclusion that the family would not practice ‘Chesa’ anymore. Part of the reason was that my father was a Christian and he did not want to bow or worship to ancestors anymore. Even though I grew up helping my mom prepare ‘Chesa’ every year, I knew little about what it was about. In this paper, I am going to explore the various kinds of Chesa’s and how they play a role of uniting the family clan together. Also, I am going to observe every step of Chesa and the meanings behind them. I argue that these steps are practiced to ‘worship’ the ancestors can be said to be a religious act even though some people carry out the ritual as a part of traditional practice of the family.
The origin of ‘Chesa’ was to gain a comfortable living through rituals and prayers. In the eastern world, natural phenomena and natural calamity have long been perceived with wonders and fears. The natural cycle of four seasons was seen as the source of harmony for the humans. Also the heavenly bodies, the god of mountains and streams (nature), and ancestors were believed to bring what men pleaded for during ‘Chesa.’ However, as human knowledge developed over time, most of the original purpose of ‘Chesa’ has lost its meaning. Today, referring to ‘Chesa’ would mostly mean to pay homage and courtesy (ui rye). Also men have established a formality for ‘Chesa’ as a ritual. According to documentary records from China, Chinese have already established a formal ritual for the ancestors during Chou dynasty.
In Korea, there were few ‘Chesa’s that took more of regular forms. They include ‘Young-go’ that is practiced for the heaven during December. ‘Young-go’ started during Puyo dynasty in Korea. People from Goguryo, practiced ‘Chesa’ called ‘Dong-maeng,’ ‘Dong-ye,’ and ‘Mu-cheon’ during October. Also, in Mahan, people set up a holy place called ‘Sodo’ and the heavenly mandate priest led the rituals. During Shilla period, King Namhae put up ‘Hyukguhsemyo’ and practiced ‘Chesa’ to the nature. During the Goryo period, the government set up various departments that carried out different rituals such as considering rain, snow, mountains, flood and etc. Except for a few, all of these rituals and Chesa’s were preserved throughout the Chosun period as well.
Until the Goryo period, the Chesa’s practiced for the ancestors had rules that were enforced by the government. For example, higher classes were allowed to practice it for further up the generation of their family until the Goryo period. However since Chosun period, each individual family was able to carry out the ritual for 4 generations up.
In modern Korea under Family ceremony rules (Gajung uirry junchik) in 1969, Koreans were only allowed to practice Chesa for ancestors up to the grandparents of the ‘Cheju.’ Since 1999, the rules were revised and people were allowed to practice it for 2 generations up their ancestors.
Even to this modern day, there are many kinds of Chesa’s practiced by the Koreans. First, ‘Kije’ is one of the rituals dedicated for the dead on the day he/she passed away. This is practiced every year but not everyone practices it. In the past, up to 4th generations were recommended to be remembered. However, it is encouraged that people practice ‘Kije’ for ancestors only up to 2nd generation. Before, ‘Kije’ started right when the day of the death started between 11pm the day before and 12 am the day of. However, most people are not constrained by the exact time Kije should be done. Also if both husband and wife are deceased, people could practice Kije for both on the same day.
‘Charye’ is another Chesa practiced by most Koreans. Charye is one of the more simple rituals. It is every carried out on the first day of the month and the 15th day (half way through) of the month. Also it is practiced during ancestors’ birthdays and traditional holidays. People do Charye when it’s still during the morning or late morning. Typically, a family would set up the table for Charye for 4 persons which are for the husbands and wives of two generations up the ancestors. I also remember my grandfather including a seat for his second wife who had passed away before. Traditionally, Charye is practiced in the house of the oldest son of the family, but sometimes people do it at the tomb of the ancestors. Usually Charye on Korean Thanksgiving day is bigger than the one of New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Day, Charye is done after the ‘Sebe’ which is bowing to the elders of the family to pay homage to them and they would give words of blessings and wisdom for the year. Depending on the region and family clan some do Charye before Sebe.
‘Myo-sa’ is one of the Chesa that is carried out at the burial site of the ancestors. This Chesa is done for ancestors up to the generation of great-great-grandfather. Myo-sa is done on Hansik (the 105th day after the winter solstice), on Dano (fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar), or days that need cemetery worship. Usually, people go during March in the morning to go to the tombs to clean up the area first and carry out Myo-sa.
‘Sashije’ used to be the most important Chesa to Koreans until the Chosun period when the government revised the rules for family rituals. Now it is mostly not practiced or practiced once a year. Originally, ‘Sashije’ is a Chesa for every season, carried out 4 times a year.
‘Seil-sa’ is a Chesa contributed to an ancestor that is 5 generations above that of Jeju’s. It is practiced once a year at the tomb of the ancestor. Seil-sa is carried out within a family clan and the head of the family would be responsible for the ritual. Seil-sa is practiced during October after Korean Thanksgiving Day, and the date is appointed by the respective family clans. Because Seil-sa is practiced at the burial ground, the family would put up a tent over the Chesa table. If there is no tomb that exists, Seil-sa is carried out at a shrine where the ancestral tablet is located or at anywhere most appropriate for the ritual with an ancestral tablet made out of paper.
‘I-je’ is a periodical and seasonal Chesa that is carried out on September 15th every year for the direct parents. I-je is practiced on this day because all things created during this season. I-je is meaningful to the people because it is a Chesa set apart for one’s parents who are of no comparison than any other ancestors. However, I-je is not practiced in the modern Korea anymore.
‘Saengshin-je’ is a Chesa contributed to parents that have passed away. Saengshin-je is not practiced at most homes today but most families do practice it on the first anniversary of the parents’ funeral. Another Chesa that is not practiced as much today is ‘Sagap-je.’ It’s a Chesa done on the 60th anniversary of one’s parents’ death. There are many more other Chesa’s that are practiced throughout the year for the ancestors.
These numerous Chesa’s are all not carried out by individual families today. However, families with multiple generations and relations living together will more likely to practice the rituals. For example, I have a friend that is also a part of the Kwon’s family clan. His grandfather is the head Che-ju of the Kwon’s family clan in a town where people of same family clan reside together as close neighbors. These towns can be considered as family clan towns which are mostly where the family clan started. Kwon’s family started in an area called ‘Ahndong’ and my friend would go to Ahndong for all the rituals because most tombs of the old ancestors are located in Ahndong. It is considered as the base for Kwon’s family clan. My friend therefore attends many Chesa’s that I don’t. My family only did ‘Charye,’ and ‘Myosa’ at my grandfather’s house.
It is not surprising that a heavy emphasis on family clans is still prevalent in the Korean society. Traditional rituals such as Chesa play a crucial role in holding the families together. So many kinds of Chesa’s described above require much work done by all the family members. They also require regular meetings and communications throughout the seasons even when families are not actually practicing the Chesa’s. The rituals give the family members a sense of pride and identity through relating themselves with the ancestors as well as other extended family members who are gathered together. The older generations would pass on the legacy and family tradition to the younger generations in the process of carrying out the rituals because every step of the preparation and of the ceremony itself contains meanings and values the family clan share together.
The first step of Chesa is to prepare the food dedicated to the ancestors during the ceremony. A folding screen is put on the north side of the room and a highchair on which the ancestral tablet is put is placed before the screen. An ancestral tablet made of paper or pictures of ancestors is put on the highchair. The Cheju will put the incense on and go outside of the house to invite the spirits of ancestors. He will pour the drink in the cup little at a time; three times for each cup to fill them up. The Cheju then bows towards the ancestors’ seating. The Cheju will wait until the ancestors arrive and after they are supposed to have, the Cheju will bow again.
Once the ancestors have arrived, the left steward will hand the cup to Cheju and the right steward would pour the drink into the cup the Cheju was holding. The Cheju will bow as the left steward put the cup on the table. Meanwhile one of the people who are participating together sites a written prayer to the ancestors. When the citation is over, Cheju will bow again.
The next step is to pour the drink for the second time and also bow. Then the Cheju or another man in the family would pour the drink for the third time and bow. These three times of bowing is done very slowly because supposedly the ancestors are drinking out of the cup.
When pouring the drink and bowing is done, the stewards open the top of the rice bowl and put the spoon in the rice. The handle of the spoon is to face east. The door of the house is to be closed and everyone in the ritual has to wait for about 9 minutes for the ancestors to eat the food on the Chesa table and meditate about what to be thankful for from what ancestors provided the family.
After the serving of the food, the ancestors are served rice water (Sueng nyung) as desert. The people once again bow towards where the ancestors are seated and the Cheju leads the way out for the ancestors. When the ancestors have left, the food is served to the rest of the family to eat with a thankful heart.
There are purposeful meanings behind every food on the Chesa table. Persimmon means a does not become a ‘person’ unless is taught and educated. The persimmon tree bears the next generation through attaching of the branch to the root. This takes painful adjustment and learning of the new environment. Chestnut grows up to be a tree when put in the soil, and when the tree bears the first fruit then the chestnut seed would decade. Therefore the chestnut represents the eternal connection with one’s ancestors.
One of Chinese cabbage tree’s characteristics is that one tree can bear a lot of fruits and when the flowers bloom, they will not wither and fall until the tree bears the fruits. Thus the Chinese cabbage represents fruitful bearing of the family clan. Asian pears represent the Asian heritage of Koreans because of its color. Yellow corvine is the most representative fish in the West Sea of Korean peninsula and is also seen on the Chesa table. Dried Pollack is the most prevalent fish that can be caught in the East Sea of the Korean peninsula. A Pollack bears a lot of eggs and its head is very large, therefore it represents bringing wealth to the family.
Every detail and element of Chesa has a meaning to it. The orders, gestures, and even the location of the dishes are carefully and purposefully set up. Although Chesa is practiced by the family in their individual homes as every generation is passed on the ritual traditions, the values behind of every practice is similar to that of other religions.
Find out more about 'Chesa' take a look at this from Google books:
The Confucian Ritual Systemx
Posted by julikwon at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2008
Korean Evangelical Christian Women
If I were to describe myself to a stranger, I would most likely to answer that I am a Korean American Christian woman. Here in this entry, I am going to write about Professor Chong's lecture titled ‘Deliverance and Submission: Korean evangelical women and the politics of gender.' Hopefully it will help us know better about how evangelical Christianity was able to spread successfully and quickly among Women of Korea.
South Korea is often mentioned in economics textbooks because of its unprecedented economic development in such a short period of time. Similarly, the evangelical movement in South Korea is known to be a remarkable phenomenon that Chong considered understudied. Just looking at the facts, the Protestantism was first introduced in Korea during late 1800’s, and its growth exploded in 3 decades. Now Protestantism is the single largest religion in South Korea. The world’s largest Methodist, Presbyterian churches today are in South Korea.
Chong paid attention to one of the unique aspects of this vibrant evangelical movement, which was the South Korean Christian women’s role and their impact on the society. She first asked herself a question that applies to the women in general: “why do so many women embrace and support religion that perpetuates subordinate submission?” Chong also asked questions regarding specifically South Korean Christian women: “what are the motivations of these women to get involved in religion?” “What impact did their involvement bring in their lives?” After her studies, Chong concluded that to South Korean women, religion was appealing for them in reconstructing the family dynamics and gender systems in their domestic lives. Also, church, as an institution, provided women with spiritual and emotional healing, as well as opportunities to participate in non-domestic activities in which women could exercise their talents and skills.
Chong was very descriptive in showing how individuals she met in South Korea strongly proved her arguments. For example, she interviewed a woman who was devoted in church activities. The interviewee told Chong that before she became a Christian, she was very depressed and lost the meaning of life while she was going through very burdensome domestic conflicts including her relationship with her mother-in-law as well as her husband. The interviewee said ‘Yugyojeok’ domestic living style is one of the reasons why she felt so hard to breath in her life. Then when she started going to church through the invitation to a bible study from her neighbor, she gained emotional and spiritual healing. And she found new meaning of life from Christianity.
The testimonies and stories Chong told us showed the reality of South Korean churches. They were also strong evidences of her arguments in that institutional participation of women gave them more power, social gathering opportunities, and ways for women to breath outside of domestic lives. I also agree that the high number of women’s conversion and their participation in churches changed the family dynamics, communities, and thus the whole nation itself.
However, I thought Chong’s arguments were fairly general conclusions from what she was able to observe in the status of South Korean evangelical Christianity today. I thought beyond South Korean women’s effort to seek the breathing tube in their constrained domestic lifestyle, there should be some natural response that only South Korean women had when the evangelical movement started in Korea because many women if not all around the world, to some degree, seek for some authority in their lives outside of that of domestic, something that provides them with emotional, spiritual healing, and someone who recognizes them. (from Chong’s argument, South Korean Christian women sought for recognitions from pastors)
Hence these general tendency as women and arguably men as well, I think cannot fully describe the thriving movement of evangelical Christianity in South Korea.
Professor Kelly H. Chong's book on Korean Evangelical Christian Women:
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/CHODEL.htmlx
Posted by julikwon at 02:08 PM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2008
Welcome: Korean Culture
Welcome to my blog.
I am Korean American. I was born in California and I grew up in Korea for 14 years, and also lived in Michigan for 6 year now. I plan to put entries that will help you know more about Korean culture. I hope you will enjoy!
If you want to know more about me as a person,
this link will take you to my personal blogspot page:
http://juliekwon.blogspot.com/
Posted by julikwon at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)
2009 Winter Fashion in Korea
I have looked around some Korean fashion sites to see what kind of inter fashion trend Koreans are following. Similar to that of Japanese, Tartan and plaid will be in style this winter in Korea.
What is Tartan and Plaid?
Plaid patterns can be on any garments of clothes, for example from jackets to skirts to blouses and tights. What's different about this year's Plaid patterns than the traditional red tartans, 2009's plaid comprises a palette of muted greys, blues, greens and browns. British country styles are the underlying influence.
How to wear it?
First find your taste of variations on check patterns and plaids; if you want to play it safe stick to a single plaid piece per outfit; if you're more daring try different pieces in mis-matching plaid and tartan patterns.
If you want to know more about Korean fashion,
in English:
http://www.yesstyle.com/en/index.aspx
in Korean:
http://blog.naver.com/rudahdutk?Redirect=Log&logNo=30038146984
Posted by julikwon at 04:29 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2008
Making rice cake with Mochiko
Living in apartments requires you to cook, or you will starve. I have been craving Korean food lately. I emailed my mom in Korea and she provided me with a recipe to make rice cake which is very expensive to buy here in Ann Arbor! I tried making it and it was just like baking a cake. It wasn't hard at all. Give it a try!
Ingredients:
Mochiko 1BOX(16OZ)
Sugar 3/2C
Salt 1ts
Water (2 +1/2) C
Direction:
There are two ways to make rice cake:
1. Using Microwave
Mix them all together until it becomes a fairly liquid batter
Put it in micro wave oven for 8 minutes
Flip the semi-cooked batter over and microwave it for another 6 minutes
2. Using the oven
On a cooking pan, put bean powder or cooked beans
put the batter on top of them
put bean powder or cooked beans on top of the batter
cover the pan with aluminum foil
Have oven ready at 325 (F)
put the pan in the oven for 1 hour.
Flavoring:
1. Injulmi
Use Misutgaru powder
2. Pat ddeok
put red beans (2+1/2) C in water and boil it until the beans are fully cooked.
drain the beans out
put them back in a pan
Add 1/2 C sugar and 1 t salt in the beans and mash the beans
Learn more about rice cakes (Ddeok)
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/ricecake/ricecake.cfm?Subject=types
Posted by julikwon at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2008
Hoju system in Korea
University of Michigan is a very large community. It's so big that unless you are connected to a smaller group of community, it'll be very difficult for you when you're going through difficult times. Especially knowing your identity in Michigan campus is important.
I am taking Asian Studies 274 right now and I have gotten to learn more about my Korean identity through it. Hopefully this entry will be informational for those of my Korean friends as they will also be going through a journey of knowing more about their Korean identity:
Attending one of the colloquium series at the Korean Studies Program gave me a different perspective on Korean culture. Especially, growing up in Korea, it never occurred to me to view Korean History from a foreigner’s perspective, not that of Korean’s.
In light of what I have been learning in class about women during Choson dynasty, it is clear that Neo Confucianism was strongly engraved in people’s mindset and their behavior. I think especially the role women were given in family rituals such as ‘Jesa’ was significant and prevalent in all families, therefore in the whole society itself. Men were important in Jesa because they had to carry the rituals as leaders (Jeju). Therefore I agree that the dynamics in family tradition in Korea had been initially set up in a way as catalysts for Japanese’ system of Hoju, colonial civil court, property rights, and etc., to operate well.
I also agree that there is a lack of understanding in the ambiguity and diversity in Korean culture and yet people today tend to set a clear time line where an idea be accepted after certain point of time or a specific incident, mainly that of Japanese’ invasion. I think Hojok system should not be considered as the remnant of only Japan, but also that of Korean’s in a larger part. I am convinced to say that even though the format of Hojok system and the official implementation of it was initiated by Japanese, there have been a social order of family clan and custom that was recognizably structured already by Korean traditional customs from such as rituals and Neo Confucianism.
This website might be helpful if you want to find ways to learn more about Korea:
University of Michigan
Center for Korean Studies Website:
http://www.ii.umich.edu/cks
Posted by julikwon at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)
