User:Hkwon/Korean ceremonial food

Korean family ceremonial food

Traditions of Korean family ceremonies were mainly established during the Chosun dynasty (1392-1910) which adopted the Confucianism as its ruling philosophy. As the Korean society becomes confucianized, family ceremonies such as Gwan Hon Sang Je (관혼상제; 冠婚喪祭), the four family ceremonies (coming-of-age ceremony, wedding, funeral, and ancestrial rite) which were considered important in Confucian culture have elaborately developed and continue to influence Korean life to these days. Ceremonial food was an important part of such cultural tradition and developed with variation across different regions and cultures.

Childbirth
When a child is born, the family offers a samshin sang (삼신상; 三神床), a table consisting three bowls of rice and three bowls of sea mustard (미역) soup to the gods of childbirth (삼신; 三神), as three has been traditionally believed a fortunate number in Korea. The same food is also offered to the mother. Sea mustard, rich in iron and calcium, is considered beneficial for new mother's health.

Baby's 100th day (Baek Il)
Baek Il (백일; 百日), a baby's 100th day is celebrated with a feast including rice, sea mustard soup, steamed white rice cakes (백설기), and five-colored Songpyeon (송편) with family's friends and relatives. The rice cakes are distributed to neighbors. The white rice cake represents innocence, and five-colored songpyeon harmony.

First birthday (Dol)
On Dol (돌), the first birthday of a baby, the baby is elaborately dressed with a colorful outfit, and food including rice, sea mustard soup, steamed white rice cakes, five-colored songpyeon, steamed noodle, jujubes are prepared. Various objects such as a book, coins, raw rice, a bow and an arrow (for a boy), and a ruler (for a girl) are put on the celebration table. This is for a tradition of foretelling the baby's future by observing which object the baby touches first (book for a scholar, coins for a rich person, etc). The occasion is celebrated by family's friends and relatives, and rice cakes are distributed to neighbors.

Coming-of-age ceremony (Gwan Rye)
Gwan Rye (관례; 冠禮), the coming-of-age ceremony, was performed between the age of 15-20. After the ceremony, a man begins to wear Sang Tu (상투), Korean topknot, and Gat (갓), a Korean traditional hat and a woman Jjok (쪽), a traditional bun hairstyle of Korean women and Byneo (비녀), a Korean traditional hairpin. The ceremonial food includes rice wine, rice cake, noodle soup, Sikhye, and Sujunggwa. Unlike other traditional ceremonies, Gwan Rye is rarely performed in Korea these days as it had been corporated into the wedding ceremony and the traditional hairstyle is no longer worn by most Koreans.

Wedding ceremony (Hon Rye)
In Hon Rye (혼례; 婚禮), traditional Korean wedding ceremony, a table called Dae rye sang (대례상; 大禮床) is placed between the groom and the bride. The table setting varies according to regions, but usually consists of rice wine, rice cakes, chestnuts, jujubes, and other foods as well as a vase with pine branch and a bamboo branch, a red candle, a blue candle, a live rooster and a hen wrapped in red and blue clothes. The color of red represents groom, and blue the bride; Chestnuts and jujubes mean longevity and fertility, and pine and bamboo fidelity. The groom and the bride bows to each other and shares rice wine in a decorated gourd cup.

Foods prepared by bride's family for groom's parents are called Pye Baek (폐백; 幣帛). Chestnuts and jujubes are offered to groom's father, and Pyeon Po (편포), Korean steamed beef patty, Yuk Po (육포), Korean beef jerky, and braised chicken to mother. Groom's father also gives jujubes to his new daughter-in-law, which represents fertility. With other foods, noodle soup is usually served to wedding guests, which represents longevity. .

Funeral (Sang Rye)
In Sang Rye (상례; 喪禮), traditional Korean funeral, mourners stay up all night in the funeral hall. Alcoholic drinks, pork or beef head meat (머릿고기)Yukgaejang (육개장) is frequently served to them. The red chili pepper powder in Yukgaejang is believed to protect guests from ghosts and spirits.

Ancestrial rite (Je Rye)
Je Rye (제례; 祭禮) or Je Sa (제사; 祭祀), Korean traditional rites for ancestors, is performed on Seol (설), lunar new year's day, Chuseok (추석; 秋夕), Korean thanksgiving day, and anniversaries of ancestors' deaths. Rules for table setting in ancestrial rites are set in Confucian literatures, but variations exist according to regions and clans. Some of general rules are as follows.
 * On the first row of the table, rice, rice wine, spoon and chopsticks are placed.
 * On the second row, noodle soup, rice cakes, beef soup, chicken soup, and fish soup are placed. Rice cakes are placed on eastern part of the table and noodle on western part.
 * On the third row, meat and fish dishes are placed. Fish is placed on eastern part and meat on western part.
 * On the fourth row, kimchi (made without chili pepper) and vegetable dishes are placed. Kimchi is placed on eastern part and other vegetables on western part.
 * On the fifth row, fruits (jujebe, apple, pear, chestnuts, etc) and sweets are placed. Red fruits are placed on eastern part and white fruits on western part.

Foods prohibited in rites
Foods traditionally believed to expel ghosts and spirits, such as red chili pepper, garlic and peaches, are prohibited in ancestrial rites. Fish without scales which had been considered unclean and fish of which name end with Korean letter "Chi" (치) - anchovy (멸치), mackerel pike (꽁치), cutlassfish (갈치), etc - which had been considered cheap, are also not placed on ritual tables.

Regional variations
Food for ritual ceremony varies considerably between regions due to different cultures and availability of foods. For example, grilled shark has been uniquely offered in the ceremony in the Gyeongsang province and skate dishes in the Jeonra province.