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Now Blogging Afresh at Ad Orientem 西儒 - The Western Confucian



Monday, September 20, 2004

Chuseok & Christianity

From Christianity, Modernization Ease Traditional Ancestor Worship:
    "'We haven't had the traditional memorial service for the past five generations in our family,' Kim, a 25-year-old office worker, said. 'Ever since our family members became Catholics, we simply prayed for our ancestors before having a big family meal on traditional holidays.'"

Next week is Chuseok (추석 秋夕), the biggest Korean holiday, which marks the Harvest Moon like Rosh Hashanah. The high point of the holiday is a sacrificial meal offered for ancestors, known in Korean as charye (차례 茶禮). This sacrifical meal was originally banned by Catholics and allowed by Protestants, although both have reversed their original positions; i.e., Catholics now allow it while Protestants don't. Converts to Catholicism are often relieved that they will be able to participate in the charye, as failure to do so often creates strife in families, which occurs in many Protestant families.

Confucius himself, in his Analects, stated that this rite is a mere formality, that the spirits of the ancestors are not present at the sacrificial meal. It is instead merely a sign of respect for, not worship of, one's ancestors. Given this understanding of the rite, I see no problem in participating in it, especially when accompanied by Christian prayer.

[link to article via Budaechigae]