Koreans Simplify Ancestral Rites for Chuseok

More than half of all Koreans marking Chuseok or Korean Thanksgiving say they will simplify the ancestral rites, either by bypassing the complicated rules or by making food offerings with food they enjoy rather than prescribed items.

In a straw poll by the Korea Rural Economic Institute of 599 housewives in early September, 71.2 percent said they will set up a ritual table, down 3.2 percentage points from last year.

But only 35.1 percent of those said they will strictly adhere to traditional rules, compared to 47.6 percent last year. Another 35 percent said they will simplify the offering table by including only basic items, while 19.3 percent said they plan to fill it with food their family enjoys eating.

The biggest proportion or 37.2 percent plan to spend W300,000 preparing a ritual table this Korean Thanksgiving, while 34.4 percent eyed spending W200,000 and 10.6 percent W400,000 (US$1=W1,129).