from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family highlights the rise of multicultural households in South Korea, now representing about 7.2% of all domestic marriages. This demographic shift brings new perspectives to traditional practices like jesa, especially as international marriages integrate different cultural and religious backgrounds.<\/span><\/p>\nYuldasheva Shakhlo, a 33-year-old woman from Uzbekistan, exemplifies this integration. Although she does not participate in jesa due to her religious beliefs, she supports her Korean husband\u2019s family in preparing for the traditional holiday ritual.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s a time for me to experience and learn about Korean traditions and culture,\u201d Shakhlo told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. However, she also remarked that her in-laws decided not to pass down the responsibility of continuing jesa to her, owing to their busy schedules and growing family responsibilities, indicating a nuanced blend of respect and adaptation.<\/span><\/p>\nSimilarly, Joseph Vandorn, a 34-year-old American married to a Korean, observes simplified jesa rituals in his multicultural family. \u201cThe ceremony is conducted briefly,\u201d Vandorn told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cHolidays have become more about family reunions,\u201d he said, illustrating a trend toward streamlining traditional practices in response to contemporary lifestyles.<\/span><\/p>\nADAPTING TO THE TIMES<\/b><\/p>\n
Sungkyunkwan\u2019s modernization measures emphasize simplicity and adaptability, reflecting the evolving attitudes toward jesa. Survey data shows a divide. While 42.4% conduct ancestral rites to honor ancestors and 23.4% for family interaction, 41.2% prefer simplifying the rituals or replacing them with family gatherings.<\/span><\/p>\nThis data highlights a fundamental shift: the essence of jesa, honoring ancestors and nurturing family bonds, may not require elaborate traditional rituals. Many, like Jo Yongbin, are finding alternative ways to fulfill these values.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cInstead of performing ancestral rituals, we visit the columbarium on memorial days to pay our respects to our ancestors and spend more quality time with family,\u201d Jo told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>, highlighting a trend toward more personal and less ceremonial ways of remembering loved ones.<\/span><\/p>\nThis perspective points to a future where the core principles of jesa are maintained, but its practice may be transformed, accommodating the realities of contemporary life in South Korea.<\/span><\/p>\nEdited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nCulture & Society<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In contemporary South Korea, jesa, the traditional ritual of honoring ancestors, faces significant changes. This ritual, rooted in Confucian practices and dating back to the Joseon Dynasty, traditionally involves preparing food offerings on anniversaries of ancestors\u2019 deaths and national holidays such as Seollal and Chuseok. However, as lifestyles and societal values evolve, so does the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2202941,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-2202940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-culture-society"],"yoast_head":"\n
How modern lifestyles are reshaping South Korea\u2019s ancestral rituals - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n