By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Chuseok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving Day, is coming. Families gather in their hometowns, often enduring hours of traffic congestion on the highways, and offer newly harvested fruits and crops to their ancestors during an ancestral memorial service to thank them for the harvest.
But such a traditional image of the holiday has been gradually changing in the Internet era. Now, more and more people are simply clicking a mouse to stay connected to the traditions.
Grave weeding services
The Chuseok holidays extend three days this year from Sept. 13 to 15. But weeks prior to the holidays, families have already started their trip to their ancestors' tombs to hold a ritual, in order to avoid traffic jams during the holidays.
Last weekend, most highways were jammed with those trying to pay an early visit to their ancestors.
But even ``smarter'' holidaymakers opt out of congestions by using ``beolcho,'' or grave weeding services.
It is easy to find those that offer such services on the Internet and it only costs between 50,000 won to 100,000 won ($50 to $100) for grave weeding services, depending on the size of the grave. Most of these companies e-mail digital photos of the graves before and after to their customers.
``We have seen a soaring number of customers around this time of year,'' a staff member at a weeding service company said. ``You can save the time and money you would have spent coming all the way down to your hometown.''
According to the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, demand for the service has increased 30 percent every year. The federation started the weeding service in the early 1990s through regional networks nationwide.
Holiday food services
Another big ritual for the holiday is ``charye,'' or an ancestral memorial service performed at home early in the morning.
The traditional image would be of family members conducting memorial services by presenting fruit, newly-harvested rice and rice wine on a dining table to the deceased ancestors and making a big bow.
The eldest son's wife usually has to prepare dishes for the ritual as most families gather at the eldest son's house to perform the ceremonies. Due to the heavy preparation work, housewives sometimes suffer from ``holiday sickness'' even before the holiday.
But now with a couple of mouse clicks they can get the food delivered in time for the ceremony.
``It is a whole lot of work for old and young housewives,'' the head of a ritual food service firm said. ``Especially, young people don't know how to prepare traditional dishes.''
The price of ritual dish sets ranges from 150,000 won to 300,000 won, depending on the menu, but it can be cheaper than the total cost housewives spend shopping for roughly 20-30 ingredients, she said. But she admitted that due to the high cost, they mostly use imported ingredients.
But many people are voicing concerns over the ``convenience-focused trend'' in traditions.
``The most important thing is not the formality but the sincerity. Letting others prepare is just neglecting devotion to ancestors,'' Kim Jong-Dae, professor of the Folk Lore Department at ChungAng University, said. ``The holiday is also a time for families to gather and learn about their roots. The changing trend simply shows materialism and expediency.''
e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr
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