Seollal, the traditional holiday in Korea, is coming up soon. In 2019, this Seollal holiday will start on February 4th and will end on February 6th, but the weekend is added, so Koreans enjoy the holidays for five days. In Seollal, Koreans set the memorial service table for their ancestors in traditional Korean particular rules. However, these days, times are changing, so the trend of how to set the memorial service table is changing. In this year, 2019, a lot of Koreans are going to set the memorial service table in their own special ways.

▲ Because of difficulties of setting the memorial service table, so the trend of how to set it is changing.

There is the Korean traditional rule of setting the memorial service table. The table is divided into five lines. On the first line, spoons chopsticks, tteokguk which is rice-cake soup, and drinking cups are put. On the second line, fish are put on the right side, and meat is put on the left side of the table. The head of the fish has to head to the right side, and the tail of the fish has to head to the left side. On the third line, the bowls of soup are put such as fish soup, tofu soup, meat soup, and others. On the fourth line, jerky is put on the end of the left side, and sikhye, a sweet rice drink, is put on the end of the right side. On the final line, the fifth line, jujubes, chestnuts, pears, and dried persimmons are put from the left side of the table in this order. As you see, this rule is so complex and difficult. Some people still think that they must set the table in the traditional rule.

▲ There is the Korean traditional rule of setting the memorial service table which is so complex and difficult.

However, these days, the trend of the method of setting the memorial service table is changed. Actually, there is no obvious traditional rule according to Yulgok Yi I, one of the most prominent Korean Confucian scholars of the Chosun dynasty. So, many people do not follow the rules. Some people do not make the food themselves because making holidays' food is very difficult. Other people put the food which they want to eat like fast food. From the very first, some people do not set the memorial service table, but they travel with their family.

▲ There are a lot of businesses which sell the foods of the memorial service table, and a lot of people who purchase these products.

There will be many people who do not set the memorial service table hard this year without exception. Maybe the ancestors hope that the descendants enjoy the Seollal and Chuseok happily, not getting the stress of setting the memorial service table.

Feb. 2nd, by Lee Ji-eun