In every part of the world, people follow certain patterns and rules that govern their lives, usually based on religion or geographically based tradition. These happenings are called rituals. Rituals are usually followed because of a religious belief, but they often have roots in the social structure of certain regions, and are used to strengthen the community as a whole. Four phases of ritualistic behavior exist, and the rituals will usually fall under one of the four categories, Birth and Childhood , Initiation and Adolescence, Marriage and Adulthood, and finally Death and Remembrance. South Korea as we know it today has only come into existence after World War 2, but the traditions and customs that exist there have been in practice for thousands of years. In the past Korea was largely Buddhist, but today we see a drastically reduced number of religious followers. When looking at the country South Korea , we find that the people living there, like a vast majority of other places, have their own sets of rituals that they follow.

The phase of birth and early childhood in South Korea is a major part of the society. In the past, birth traditions were based entirely on Buddhist beliefs, so the birth was considered not important (by religious opinion) and no attention was given. Aside from the Buddhist traditions (or lack there of) we see that the people of South Korea have their own set of rituals for early childhood and birth. In the past, the chance of a child surviving through the first year of life was far lower than it is today, due to a lack of medical information, Korea’s seasonal temperature differences, and many childhood related diseases. At birth traditionally Koreans would pray to Sanshin (a mountain god) and Samshin (a birth god, also called Samshin-halmuni "grandmother"). It was said that Samshin lived in the cloth that covered the baby. Relatives were not allowed to see the mother and baby up to 21 days after the birth.

After 100 days had past, another celebration was held, the Baek-il, it was used to celebrate the child’s survival up to the 100 day point. The Baek-il has 2 major components; f irst, family members give thanks to Samsin (the three gods who take care of the baby’s life while growing up); second, the family prays for the child’s jae-ak (wealth), longevity, and cho-bok (original luck). After the prayer is over, a large meal is prepared, and each piece of food represents an additional prayer for the child. The foods prepared are: baekseogi (for longevity, representing cleanliness and freshness), susupo-ttteok (to ward off bad things), injeolmi (for solace and patience), and songpyeon (for a healthy mind).

After one year, the survival expectancy of a child effectively skyrocketed, making the one year anniversary a big celebration. The celebration is called Tol , meaning “child’s first birthday”, and is essentially a larger version of the Baek-il. It involves 4 steps, and they are as follows: First the family prays to Sanshin and Samshin for the child, using a specially prepared table of food including miyeok-guk and samshin siru which are sea mustard soup and layered red bean cake respectively. The females of the family all pray at the table, no men are allowed to, and after prayer is complete the family all bows to the table. The second phase is the making and wearing of the Tol-bok , which are the ceremonial clothes for the Tol . The clothes differ depending on the sex of the child, but both males and females wear a long belt that wraps around twice for longevity, and a pouch to “catch luck”. The clothes are made of silk. The third step is a large feast of rice cakes of all different types, and after the feast the child’s future is told using various items. If a child picks the bow and arrow , the child will become a warrior. If a child takes the needle and thread, the child will live long. Other items include the j ujube , book, rice or rice cake, ruler, scissors and knife, and they all have a specific meaning. The final stage is the phase in which the neighbors celebrate the good fortune of the child, and offer the child gold rings. These rings are not to be worn, but are rather used to pay for the child’s future endeavors.

Unlike many places in the world, South Korea does not have a totally unique set of rituals for the celebration of “Coming of Age”. What South Korea does have is a collection of other rituals from the various religions they practice throughout the country. “The reason that no celebration occurred on the transition from child to adult was because in Korea ’s history it had always been an understanding that once a male reached the age of 13 or so, they would be put to work. Girls weren’t desired back in the past because they didn’t work” (Lee, 2006 Interview). In the history of Korea , Tae Kwon Do was widely used in military applications, and so the males of the household were encouraged to learn as soon as it was physically possible for them to begin training.

Although there was a clear focus on males in Korean Society, there have been changes over time, one of which takes place yearly in South Korea . Coming-of-age day, as it is called, is a ritual which occurs yearly in Seoul on May 15 th , and it is a day used to celebrate the 20 th birthday of girls in South Korea . The traditional coming-of-age ceremony is held to increase the awareness about the responsibilities of adulthood of those involved, and is often regarded as a way of passing into womanhood.

While it is not so much a coming of age celebration as it is a coming to an age celebration, the hwan-gap is still considered one of the larger celebrations in a person’s life. It is a celebration of the individual reaching the age of 60, and it is celebrated for two major reasons, firstly, it signifies the day on which an individual has completed a full zodiacal cycle. The most prevalent reason it is celebrated, is because in the past this was the average life expectancy of many people living tin Korea at the time. Because of this the hwan-gap is used as a celebration of one’s parents. Y ears after the 60th birthday are regarded as extra years and although subsequent birthdays called for a celebration, they were not celebrated on such a grand scale as the 60th. Upon the 70th birthday, or gohui (meaning old and rare), another celebration equal in scale with the hwan-gap was celebrated.

In the past, nearly every Korean marriage was arranged, and the two people who were to be wed often did not meet each other until the day of the wedding. Little boys and girls were often wed at the age of 12-16, and although the people would have no love for each other, they would stay together, and there is actually a celebration of the 60 th wedding anniversary because it was thought that “the ability to repress one’s emotions was regarded as a sign of good upbringing and education.” The year, month, day and hour of birth were all used to pinpoint who an individual was to marry, and the collection of the four numbers was called the saju , or four pillars. The future happiness of a couple is determined by a fortuneteller, and if they were compatible they could be wed.

Times have changed, however, and now in South Korea there are two paths leading to marriage. The first is called a yeonae or a love match, and it involves the meeting and falling in love of two people without the interference of a third party. The second type of marriage is called a jungmae or arranged marriage, but unlike the old days in which the couple would not meet before the wedding, the two individuals now meet and learn about each other before the marriage. Traditionally weddings are held at the courtyard of the bride’s house, and it begins with the bride and groom exchanging bows and drinks. The tables in the courtyard are decorated with red and blue threads, burning candles, red beans, jujubes, rice and a pair of ducks, which symbolize lasting affection. After the wedding, at night, the couple would retire to their room, and the relatives would often try to poke holes in the paper doors to peep in on the couple. Once they had entered the room they were not allowed to leave until sunrise.

Despite having such rich marriage traditions, in South Korea today marriage is often very westernized, with many of their original traditions and rituals lost in the culture of the United States . Almost all weddings today are unarranged, and the number of arranged marriages is decreasing each year. These days we see that weddings are held in churches and follow very Catholic procedures as opposed to the traditional ways. Some villages in South Korea still practice traditional methods, but the western culture is taking over.

Funerals and death rituals in South Korea are very important to people who lose a loved one. Koreans believe that if a person died because of an illness or from a natural cause outside of the home that their spirit would become a gaekgwi or a ghost. To make sure that their deseaced loved ones would not become gaekgwi after death, families would gather to stay with the dying relative to put the spirit at rest. If someone was close to dying while out with a family member, that family member would go to great lengths to get them home, so the spirit would not roam. Once the dying individual had passed away, the family member present performed a gok or a wail. The purpose of the gok was to show mourning and sorrow for losing a close relative, and also to express a feeling of guilt, because they may feel that they could have prevented the death.

The period of mourning has changed a few times over the years, in the 18th century,the duration of the mourning period was over a month, but it has decreased drastically since then, and it is generally decided that 3 days is sufficient. Traditionally, the sangju or oldest male would lie on a carpet with straw armrests for the duration of the mourning. If the mourners needed to leave the house, they had to wear a large brimmed hat to show that they had lost someone close to them. On the last day of the mourning period, the funeral procession was held. On this day, a bier was used for transporting the coffin to the grave. Before the coffin left the deceased’s home, it was lowered an raised 3 times to signify the final departure from their home on Earth.

The people who attended the funeral wore very simple clothing, with the men wearing a sleeveless coat and thee women wearing no jewelry and not combing their hair the hands and feet of the deceased were bound tightly, and one of the relatives would take a coat of the deceased to the roof of the house, and call out the deceased’s name 3 times, the coat was then taken back in and used to cover the dead body. The day after the death, the burial was prepared the first of which was called seup or a process involving the cleaning and dressing of the corpse. The water used to clean the body was perfumed to take away any unpleasant smell, and the body was dried immediately after the washing. The hair of the body is combed, and the nails manicured, any lost hair or nail-clippings during tis procedure are collected and placed in pouches called joballang . The joballang is placed into the coffin and the corpse is fed 3 spoonfuls of rice, followed by some money. It is thought that the rice and money help ease the passing into the afterlife. The earth that would be placed over the body was packed into a mound shape to prevent water seepage. Called dalgujil , this process of packing the earth by stamping on it was done with the accompaniment of music. It also had to be done in odd-number layers.

Wow, Korea sure had a rich history and a full culture. With all of their rituals for the phases: Birth and Childhood , Initiation and Adolescence, Marriage and Adulthood, and finally Death and Remembrance, it’s easy to say that Korea has a beautiful culture all its own. For young children they have ceremonies to show their good fortune and longevity, when an individual is old enough they were often put to work, and when they hit 60 they were considered elders. Traditionally marriage was arranged, with large joining-of-family celebrations, and finally, the deceased were treated very carefully to prevent ghosts. With all of the amazing rituals that South Korea holds, it’s a true tragedy that the westernized culture has destroyed a majority of the rituals they once held so dear. Almost all of the rituals described within these pages are now no longer practiced because they have been replaced by the western ideals. Some people are still trying to hold on to these rituals tightly, but it’s unfortunately a losing battle.

References

Hur, Ben Senghwa & Hur, Sonja Vegdahl (2002). Korea (Culture Shock!) . Oregon : Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
Whyte, Rob & Kim, Kyoung-Mi (2001). Living in South Korea . Vermont : Pro Lingua Associates.
Lee, Tae E. (2006) [Interview with Tae E. Lee, Grandmaster of TaeKwonDo on the subject of Korea ]. [Phone]
Life in Asia, Inc “Cultural Spotlight” Life in Korea . Retrieved May 22, 2006, from http://www.lifeinkorea.com/
Korean Overseas Information Service. “Culture” Gateway to Korea . Retrieved May 22, 2006 from http://www.korea.net/