How do Korean funerals work?

In modern Korean funerals, no eulogies are held. Visitors bow twice to the deceased and once to the mourner with words of condolences to show respect. Various delicacies and wine are served to the visitors. Instead of burial, cremation, which has a shorter period of bodily decay, is more commonly practiced nowadays.

How long do Korean funerals last?

Usually, Korean funerals last two nights and three days. They begin immediately after the patient passes away, presumably at one of those large hospitals.

What do Koreans believe happens after death?

In Korean folk belief, death means a departure from this world to the "otherworld." The otherworld is not necessarily located far away from this world but may be over the mountains. Death is thought to be a rite of passage, and the dead are generally considered to be similar to the living.

What happens after a Korean funeral?

Family members continue to visit the gravesite with offerings on the second and third day after the burial. They make deep bows at the gravesite on the third day. They put away any pictures or ancestral tablets placed in the home.

Do Koreans give money at funeral?

If you attend a Korean funeral, you are expected to bring condolence money. Traditionally, it is considered auspicious to give money with odd numbers: 3, 5, 7 and 10 (10 is included since you get it by adding the lucky numbers 3+7). Korean paper money is counted in tens of thousands, so add 4 zeros to each number.

Are You Going To A Korean Funeral?

What is the color of mourning in Korea?

In Korea, blue is used a color for mourning. This counters the western idea that blue is for sadness and depression, as mourning does not just include weeping, but hope.

Why do Korean wear mask during funeral?

A mask is used to perform ancestral rites or to drive away evil spirits by wearing a mask. Typically one sees the following some of which are designated as national cultural properties. The Hahoe, Sandae and Talchum are all traditional Korean mask dramas of ritual and religious significance.

Do people get buried in Korea?

All across Korea, the eldest sons of the family will clean and prepare the burial mounds of their most recently deceased ancestor. Koreans traditionally buried the dead under mounds standing upright in coffins made from six planks of wood.

How is death viewed in Korea?

Death Attitudes in South Korea

In Korea, a good death has been traditionally considered as one of the eight blessings throughout life (Hsiung, Ferrans, & Estwing, 2007). Possibly reflecting such a cultural approach toward death, research on death in Korea tends to focus on searching for the meaning of a good death.

Is everyone in Korea cremated?

More than 80 per cent of South Koreans choose cremation as views on death change. SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Since the 1990s, there has been a change in how Koreans view death, with more preferring cremation after death, according to a new report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

What do you say in Korean funeral?

고인의 명복을 빕니다." You must be in great grief. Pray for the bliss of the dead. This is a general formal phrase to anyone who lost his/her loved one. Thank you for your answer!

Do you send flowers to a Korean funeral?

Asian Funeral

In Asian funerals white or yellow mums are appreciated. In China, Japan and Korea, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and grief. Yellow chrysanthemums are also a traditional funeral flower.

What Korean do with their dead bodies?

In modern Korean funerals, no eulogies are held. Visitors bow twice to the deceased and once to the mourner with words of condolences to show respect. Various delicacies and wine are served to the visitors. Instead of burial, cremation, which has a shorter period of bodily decay, is more commonly practiced nowadays.

What does the black color Korean mask signifies?

Five actors wearing the masks and costumes of the five colors (blue for east, white for west, red for south, black for north and yellow for center) dance to expel evil spirits from the playground.

What is Korean jesa?

Jesa (祭祀, traditional rite from ancestors) is a form of ritual to worship god, which involves making an offering of food prepared with sincerity and prayer [4]. For nations and families, the directions are different in performing ancestral rites even though the purposes are basically the same.

What can you say about a character wearing a half red and half white colored Korean mask?

To symbolize a character's duplicity, masks are sometimes painted half red and half white.

How much does a Korean funeral cost?

First of all, give a light bow when you enter, write your name in the guest book and then, hand an envelope with the condolence money (50.000 won is enough if you are not close with the deceased person. However, if you were close, then it is better to put at least 100.000 won).

Do Koreans wear white or black to funerals?

Today the bereaved do not prepare sangbok. Instead, they wear hanbok, which should be white or black, and wear a mourning ribbon or white flower pinned on the left chest.

What should you avoid when giving gifts in Korea?

Do not give: expensive gifts (Koreans will feel obligated to reciprocate with a gift of equal value), knives or scissors (they signify "cutting off" a relationship), green headwear, gifts with red writing (denotes death) or gifts in a set of four (denotes death).

Is wearing white to a funeral disrespectful?

As a neutral color, white should not be considered inappropriate at most North American funerals. Though you should ask the family hosting the service when in doubt, plain, neutral colors are generally acceptable for memorials. Wearing white in conjunction with other dark tones is absolutely appropriate.

What does 49 days mean?

In many Buddhist traditions, 49 days is the total mourning period, with prayers conducted every 7 days, across 7 weeks. These Buddhists believe that rebirth takes place within 49 days after death. So these prayers are conducted to facilitate this journey of the deceased into the afterlife.

How do Korean cemeteries work?

In a traditional Korean funeral ceremony, the body of the deceased will usually rest at home for at least three days after death, before being carried to the final resting place. Interment usually takes place on the 3rd, 5th, or 7th day after death depending on the situation.

Why is cremation so popular in South Korea?

Since then there has been a big shift in South Koreans' thinking about the handling of the deceased, in part, officials say, because of Western influence and a strong government push for citizens of this small, densely populated country to consider cremation as a way to save space.

Which country has the highest cremation rate?

Nowadays, India's cremation rate is one of the highest in the world, reaching almost 75%.

Does a body get drained before cremation?

Is a body drained before cremation? Draining a body of fluids does not happen before cremation. If a body is embalmed before cremation, the bodily fluids are exchanged (drained, and then replaced) with chemicals during the embalming process. These chemicals are also fluid.