20110331 My Grandfather's Memorial Service

     Yesterday my family had a memorial service for my grandfather. When I was 6 years old, my grandfather was dead, so I just have a little memory on him, but in my memory he was always taking care of me and my brother. In my memory, whenever he went out, he always by some snack for me and my brother so we always waited for him to bring us a snack. In addition I cannot forget that he brought a big snack box to me and my brother as a chirstmas gift. I cannot rememeber, but according to my parents, he always take me in a stroller and then take a walk around my town. He was a principal in a elementary school, so after he got retired, he always scrapped the newpaper to understand news in society. In my memory he was a very kind and intelligent person. Every 25th Feb in lunar calendar, we had a memorial service for my grandfather.

      This is a Korean traditional way to memorial our ancestors. In Korea, we call it as Jesa(제사). As I mentioned above, the memorial service is held on the day of the ancestor's death every year. Actually, this is performed until upwards of four generations of ancestors in the eldest descendat's house (basically it is inherited by a son). and every relative is gathering in his house and perform this service together. This is also a chance to gather all the family in one place and talk together.

      For performing this service, we prepare various foods for it such as wine, soup, beef, fish, vegetables, fruits and rice cake and so on. Traditionally it is performed after midnight, but nowaday it changed so, most people do this service during the evening. After setting all foods on a ancestral rites table, we perform this service with a traditional process. We take a ritual bow twice to our ancestor. In Korean traditiona we do a ritulal bow twice at a time only to dead people. 

     After finishing all processes of this service, people eat the foods and wine that are used in memorial service because we believe that we can receive the blessings bestowe upon the family through eating foods that are used at memorial service.

     Although today, in most Korean families, ancestor ritual become simplified, it still remain an important part of our culture and we are faithfully observed. With this service, annually, my family memorial our grandfather and ask him for blessing my family.