Leaving Lunar rites behind

An article written for the school newspaper.

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As the bright and bulbous moon begins to wane, the start of the Lunar New Year has now passed, with the memories of meeting family and other rituals celebrating the coming of the Year of the Rabbit now slightly faded. Children have waved enthusiastic hellos and forlorn goodbyes to their wizened grandparents, while parents too have been overjoyed to return to their hometowns amidst hectic schedules. And, of course, children love sebae—the tradition of handing out generous sums of money in red envelopes. Yet, though the fundamental spirit of family gatherings has stayed the same, the same cannot be applied to other traditions, which have lost their hold on the event and have slowly been forgotten or discarded over time.

Traditionally, the Lunar New Year consists of several different events. The most well-known event is jesa, a memorial service for past generations meant to show respect and thanks for good fortune. Families lay out several different traditional dishes such as ddeok-guk (rice cake soup), hwang-tae-po (dried pollack), and dried jujube on a low wooden table for ancestors to sample. While the practice of respecting ancestors and asking for their blessings has not diminished, because of time-intensive practices like the painstaking insertion of pine nuts into dried jujube, many families often scale down the number of dishes they prepare and forgo the minor details altogether.

Another tradition that has seen a decline over the past decade is the wearing of traditional Korean clothes known as hanbok, which consists of colorful silk or cotton layers of skirts with baggy sleeves for women and puffy pants for men. Although hanbok is usually reserved for special occasions such as the Lunar New Year, purchases have fallen and family gatherings now more often consist of formal wear. Though there are many reasons behind this change, part of the reason is financial—hanbok is expensive to make and thus expensive to buy, especially considering that the garment is worn only a few times a year. Though there are some hanbok rental services that keep the garment accessible, many of these services often cater to tourists rather than Koreans preparing for a ceremonial event. Thus, Lunar New Year is now characterized by Western formal wear rather than traditional outfits.

Part of the compounding factors behind why this has happened is the gender norms enforced by Lunar New Year. Food is time-intensive to cook, prepare, and garnish, and because cooking is delegated to the women of the household, women are often huddled in the kitchen while the rest of the family enjoys the holiday. As younger generations are now more aware of stereotypical gender norms and steer away from them, traditional home-prepared food is also declining in a society where conveniently pre-packaged Lunar New Year dishes wait in department stores. After all, pre-made dishes have a reliable taste, are easily prepared or reheated at home, and are often much cheaper overall.

Some are alarmed over the disappearance of the Lunar New Year they celebrated even just a decade ago. The Sungkyunkwan Confucian Association Headquarters, a group of Korean Confucian scholars, have even simplified Lunar New Year “rules” in an attempt to draw in more celebrators and have acknowledged the heavy burden of traditional rites. Despite the toil associated with the holiday, many still champion traditional celebrations as valuable cultural heritage that must be preserved. Others argue that the interaction of old Korean roots with modern culture is representative of the natural shift of culture—for instance, couples visit in-laws and blood families indistinctly, which has lifted part of the social pressure that comes with deciding who to visit first.

In the end, the Lunar New Year is still the same—it has just shifted the way all things have done as the world continues to develop. Though some lament the past, for others it may be a step forward in casting aside gender norms and impractical traditions. But as long as the new year is celebrated with joy for all, 2023’s Lunar New Year was the same as ones from past years in spirit—which is remarkable considering the drastically shifting times. Whether celebrating festivities with multiple relatives or a small one with close family, remember to simply treasure those moments.