Koreans traditionally have commemorated and thanked their ancestors with a ritual on Lunar New Year`s Day or seollal (which falls tomorrow) and a specially arranged table is at the center of the rite.

It starts with cleaning and polishing dishes and other utensils for the ritual, usually brassware. When the table and ritual vessels are ready, the head of the family writes a note to announce to the ancestral gods that offerings are to be served.

Then he places it on an ancestral tablet and puts it in the center of the first row nearest to folding screens (considered north regardless of actual directions) where the spirits of ancestors are supposed to place themselves.

Spoons and chopsticks are placed on the left (seen from the descendents) and on both sides, cups for liquors and bowls of tteokguk, or rice cake soups, are placed.

As it is the first day of the new year according to the lunar calendar, white garaettoek, or rice cakes in the shape of a lengthy round stick, are used. White signifies brightness and purity, while there have been different opinions on the reason the rice cakes are molded into a circle, albeit rather an oval one. Garaettoek symbolizes yang (of the cosmic dual forces) and also represents a wish for longevity of family members with its length.

The rest of the table setting differs depending on regions and families, yet the general custom requires the following food: cooked rice or tteokguk, soup, noodles, rice cake, honey or grain syrup, stew, pan-fried food, roasted food, dried beef, salted fish, drink, parboiled greens, kimchi without red pepper powder, clear soy sauce, fruits and liquor.

Foods served raw are supposed to be on the east and cooked on the west. Dry food on the left, wet on the right. Ttoekguk offered to the ancestors on the left, soup on the right. On the second row are a bowl of noodles, skewers of (from left) meat, vegetables or tofu and fish, as meats are supposed to be on the west (left) and fish on the east. The head of fish should point to east and the belly should face the tablet. Fishes with names ending with "chi" are avoided as the sound reminds one of the word "chisa," or disgrace. Then come honey and rice cakes.

▲Under Korean tradition, a special table is arranged to commemorate ancestors on Lunar New Year`s Day.

On the next row, candles are lighted on each side, and tangs, or hot soups of meat, vegetables or tofu and fish are served in between. Slices of boiled meat (or fish) are put on the left on the fourth row, while sikhye, a sweet drink made of rice, is to be placed on the opposite. Sikhye is made of malt, which is known to help digestion, hinting it helps prevent an upset stomach after eating an unusually heavy meal.

In the middle are parboiled greens in three different colors, and then soy sauce, white cabbage kimchi, and salted fermented fish. Kimchi is served without red pepper powder as the color red is believed to ward off the spirit, as is the case with garlic.

Fruits are piled up on the fifth and last row as they are the dessert, with red colored ones are on the left and white ones on the right. Four fruits, jujubes, chestnuts, persimmons and pears must be included and placed in the order mentioned.

Jujubes signifies fertility and prosperity as each jujube never fails to blossom into a flower. The seed of chestnuts are known to not perish even after it grows into a big tree, so they symbolize eternity, linking ancestors and descendants. Peaches are shunned from offerings as the fuzz on the fruit is said to turn away spirits, even good ones.

When the ritual is done in a rather strict way, the offerings that do not need to be served hot are put on the table first, and the rest after beckoning the ancestors by serving liquor. But it is common for the whole table is set before the rite begins, especially these days.

Descendants offer liquor to ancestral gods, starting with burning incense. There is a box of incense sticks and an incense burner on the small table in front of the offerings. The head of the family burns an incense stick and thrusts it into the burner, three times.

He is then assisted by one of the family members, usually one from the next generation, and serves the liquor after rotating the cup three times over the incense. All members of the family twice greet the spirits of the ancestors and each serves liquor, each cup emptied into a vessel in three movements to be filled up and served again.

After giving some quiet time for the ancestors to enjoy their meal, the family bids farewell and then shares the food wishing for blessings from the ancestors.

(glamazon@heraldm.com)

By Hwang You-mee

2007.02.17