Korean family refers to the pure blood relationship binding members of the same family together. It is an important factor in the understanding of Korean cultural values to the extent that it contrasts with groupism and authoritarianism. This chapter examines the cultural value system of family, which forms the base of Korean society.
1. Ceremony Culture and family communality
The special feature of Korean culture is a typical family based on Confucian patriarchy Thus, with a strong family bond between a father and a son, filial piety based on Confucianism provided a foundation for Korean patriarchy. The culture of memorial ceremonies in Confucianism can be said to complete Korean filial piety which is to care for parents during their lives and honor ancestors through memorial ceremonies after they died. A memorial ceremony. which is the way to have eternal life for keeping them in descendants' memory, has become the factor to strengthen family based on blood in Korean society.
Cultural Phenomenon
The chief traditional ceremonies are 'deathday' ceremonies, seasonal ceremonies, and memorial ceremonies held at gravesites. Deathday ceremonies are held annually on the day an ancestor died, and they are the most important ancestor worship ceremony in Korea today. Deathday ceremonies are typically continued for up to two generations. Next, seasonal ceremonies were traditionally held four times a year once during each of the four seasons. However, in moder times they are normally only performed during the two major national holidays of Lunar New Year and Chuseok. During the Lunar New Year ceremony, Koreans eat rice dumpling soup, while during Chuseok they eat half-moon-shaped rice cakes and fruit. Finally, there are memorial ceremonies held at gravesites, in which family members visit their ancestors' graves to pay their respects. Although all three of these ceremony types may differ depending on the local community or family, the general procedure is always the same. First, they summon the spirit and greet them. Then they serve the spirit a cup of alcoholic drink, which is followed by a meal and tea. This may seern like a complicated ceremony, but it is actually similar to inviting people to one's home and serving them drinks and a meal. Traditionally, ancestor worship ceremonies started from midnight and lasted until 1:00 AM, when it is very quiet. These days, however, it is common for people to perform the ceremony whenever it is convenient after dark. These ancestor worship ceremonies are performed at the chief moumer's house, and while the participants are normally descendants of the ancestor, close relatives may also participate.
These days, young wives who are not used to doing a lot of housework feel much stress during ancestor worship ceremonies, and as a result such occasions often cause family conflicts. Nonetheless, most Korean family still believe it is important to honor their ancestors through worship ceremonies. In the past, ancestor worship ceremonies were performed chiefly by men, but recently they may also be performed by women. Some Christian families choose to perform a Christian service instead of a traditional ancestor worship ceremony, but this can also cause conflicts among family members. In this way, many changes are occurring with respect to the concept of ancestor worship ceremonies and their procedures.