How to set up a ancestral table is always confusing. Sacrificial offerings differ slightly depending on the region and family as the special products from each region are different, and the location of the offering is also slightly different. That’s why there is a saying, ‘Put dried persimmons, put dates on other people’s ancestral rites, don’t interfere’. Today, I will briefly summarize how to set the ancestral rites table.
How to set up a ancestral table
<How to set up the ancestral table>
Ritual table setting refers to the formal arrangement of prepared ancestral rites and offerings on a ancestral table. In Korea, the manner of setting the table for ancestral rites differs from region to region and family to family, so it is so diverse that it is called ‘Gagarye’. The main reason why there are so many different types of rites is that the methods of rites appearing in various books are different. The basic principle of sacrificial table setting is to balance the left and right sides of the dead and the living.
How to set up a ancestral table
▣ Nam Jwa Yeo Woo (male left female right)
It is the opposite of the living person’s table setting. Place cutlery in the center. Rice is to the west (left) and soup is to the east (right).
▣ Banseo-Geng-Dong
The male ancestor’s ancestral table, rice, soup, and drinking cup are placed on the left, while the female ancestor is placed on the right. The male ancestor is located in the west (left), and the female ancestor is located in the east (right).
▣ Eodong Yukseo (漁東肉西)
Meat is to the west (left) and fish is to the east (right).
▣ Dudongmiseo
The tail is to the west (left) and the head to the east (right).
▣ Saengdongsukseo
Namul is located in the west (left), and kimchi is located in the east (right).
▣ Jwapowoohye
Po (bukeo, cod, squid) is placed on the left side, and Sikhye (fermented food such as crystal) is placed on the right side.
▣ Tuning Lee Si (藻栗梨枾)
Usually, jujubes, chestnuts, pears, and persimmons are placed in the order from the left side of the display.
▣ Hongdongbaekseo
Red fruits are placed to the east and white fruits to the west.
So far, I have looked into how to set up a ancestral table and explained various names. Keep the basics, but you can prepare the ancestral rites according to the circumstances of the family. And you can put the food you liked when you were alive. It is a modern way to prepare a ancestral table for the deceased, a table setting that the deceased loved. Above all, I think the heart and sincerity in preparing the ancestral rites table are important. The article concludes by attaching links to recent news articles related to this.