Many households feel burdened by the idea that the number of dishes prepared for a Chuseok charye table reflects their sincerity.
However, charye in traditional ritual etiquette was a ceremony different from an anniversary memorial rite, and the food arrangement was also simpler than it is today.
As the way families gather together continues to change, it is worth reconsidering what the charye table is meant to preserve.
3-Line Summary
1. Charye is a holiday ceremony different from an anniversary memorial rite.
2. Ordinary household food arrangements had, on average, 5~6 times more food.
3. The amount of food on the table does not determine sincerity.
The Origins of Charye, When Liquor, Tea, and Fruit Were Offered
In a Newsis report, Kim Mi-young, senior research fellow at the Korean Studies Institute, explained that charye and memorial rites were not the same ritual from the beginning. Charye is a ceremony to inform ancestors that a holiday such as Seollal or Chuseok has arrived and to pay respects, while a memorial rite is a ritual in which food is offered while commemorating the deceased on the anniversary of their death.
The traditional ritual text 『Jujagarye』 describes offering newly harvested fruit, tea, liquor, and other items at the ancestral shrine. Its character and food arrangement differed from an anniversary memorial rite, which prepared various foods including rice and soup. The name charye is also said to have originated from the ritual of offering tea.
The procedure was relatively simple as well. The text mentions offering liquor once and not reading a written prayer, and 『Jujagarye』 does not set out detailed rules requiring particular fruits or fish to be offered. The practice of including fruits such as jujubes, chestnuts, pears, and persimmons, or particular types of fish, can be understood as having taken shape through later customs and traditions passed down by region and family.
Why Did Ordinary Household Food Arrangements Become More Elaborate?
A survey by the Korean Studies Institute comparing ritual foods for Seollal charye in traditional ritual texts, head families, and ordinary households from 2017 found that ordinary households prepared, on average, 5~6 times more charye food than traditional texts and head-family charye tables. Conversely, some head families that relatively faithfully follow traditional ritual etiquette are said to prepare a charye table with only liquor, tteokguk, one plate of jeon, and one tray of fruit.
This difference shows that the idea that “the more extensively the table is prepared, the more fully one has observed propriety” may differ from tradition itself. Research Fellow Kim explained that traditional ritual etiquette cautioned against excess rather than insufficiency. Omitting tang, which people do not eat, and preparing only holiday foods to share can also be understood in this context.
Rather than being a standard answer that every household must follow identically, the charye table can be seen as a setting where the meaning of the ceremony and the family’s circumstances are considered together. If increasing the number of dishes leads to long hours of labor and conflict for someone in the family, it is difficult to conclude that simplifying the table is a choice that reduces propriety.
A Holiday Scene of “Let’s All Prepare Together”
In a discussion among MZ-generation reporters published by Mudeung Ilbo, participants expressed a desire to spend the holidays resting, traveling, or pursuing hobbies after greeting their families. One participant said they had seen a large family home where household roles were still divided as though kitchen work belonged to women and outside work to men, adding that they did not want to create a scene in which one side handled food preparation and dishwashing all day.
This is not the result of a survey showing the views of the entire generation, but it reveals the need to discuss together who will take on holiday labor and how large the charye table should be. Eating out as a family or preparing only the food that is needed is not the same as giving up holiday gatherings if everyone agrees to the arrangement.
The point to note in this discussion about the charye table is not the number of dishes but the purpose of the ceremony. The intention to honor ancestors and preserve a place for the family to be together is not tied to only one way of setting a large table.
References
Tags #CharyeTable #ChuseokCharyeTable #CharyeFood #SimplifyingCharye #TraditionalCharye #Jujagarye #DifferenceBetweenMemorialRitesAndCharye #HolidayFood #HolidayLabor #ChuseokPreparation #CharyeTableArrangement #FamilyHolidays