Traditional Rites and Rituals
Definition
Gije (or Gijesa or Giyiljesa) is an annual memorial service held on the date of an ancestor's death. Gije can be performed for any deceased member of the family up to one's great-great-grandparents. As one can even shed tears of blood from grief and sorrow and cannot work on the anniversary of the death, the participants do not drink alcohol, eat meat, or listen to music, but wear white clothes with a black do-rag and a white belt, and sleep in the Sarang (guest room).
Gijesa Period
The memorial service is prepared from midnight on the day of the death and held after 1am, or before sunrise. According to Yeseo (Ritual Book), the service should not be held too early or too late. In general, it is performed around 4am in summer, and at dawn in winter. Nowadays, although it is usually held after midnight, it can be held in the evening of the anniversary so as to enable descendants to participate in the service in consideration of the nuclear family, work, and transportation difficulties.
Gije Venue
Gije is performed at the daecheong (main floored room) of the anchae (women's quarters) or sarangchae (men's quarters) of the ritual house.
Danseol and Hapseol
According to Chu Hsi's Family Rituals and Sarye pyeollam (Easy Manual on the Four Rites, written by Yi Jae[1680-1746, civil servant of Joseon]), the memorial service is performed with a danseol, a single memorial tablet of the deceased ancestor, placed on the table; however, Hapseol, in which two memorial tablets are placed on one table, or Gakseol, in which two memorial tablets are placed on each table, can be performed.
Procedure of Gije
Chu Hsi's Family Rituals was accepted and regarded as a set of practical guidelines for the aristocracy during the Joseon Dynasty, while each region and clan established the Gagarye (Individual Family Ceremonies). As there was no detailed explanation in Chu Hsi's Family Rituals , and the procedure of Jesa was based on the Chinese lifestyle, Korean people interpreted it in their own way, and certain ritual procedures were slightly changed depending on the situation of individual households. Based on Sarye pyeollam (Easy Manual on the Four Rites), the Gije rite is conducted as follows:
According to Chu Hsi's Family Rituals and Sarye pyeollam (Easy Manual of the Four Rites), a memorial service is performed with Danseol, a single memorial tablet of the deceased ancestor is placed on the table; however, Hapseol, in which two memorial tablets are placed on one table, or Gakseol, in which two memorial tablets are placed on each table, can be performed.
Jinseol refers to the arrangement of dishes of ritual food, including vegetables, fruits, and drinks, for a memorial service in the early morning of the next day.
At daybreak, all the participants, except the host of the house, take the memorial tablets to the shrine. When the host walks up the east staircase to burn the incense and reads the Chuljugosa (a formulaic written invocation concerning the removal of a memorial tablet from a shrine), and then places the memorial tablet of the deceased father in the tablet coffer in order to take it to Jeongchim (the room of the main building of the ritual house). The host opens up the tablet chest to place the tablet on the highchair and take it off its case. The memorial table of the deceased mother is held by the hostess.
Chamsin is to make bows to the ancestral tablet, implying that the host of the house and the descendants receive the spirit of ancestor(s). If the ceremony is held with paper tablet(s), Chamsin is performed after Gangsin,
The host burns the incense to invite the ancestral spirit (Yang energy) from heaven. (In Sangnye biyo, Essentials of Funerary Rites, the host burns the incense first and then make bows.) Then, he fills a cup with drink and pours it onto mosa (a bowl in which a bundle of bands and sand are filled) to invite the ancestral soul (the Yin energy) from the ground. The host performs Gangsin (inviting the ancestral spirit to the memorial service) bows as all the ancestral sprit and soul have arrived from heaven and the ground.
Jinchan is to load the table with ritual dishes that are cooked hot food such as fish, meat, rice cakes, noodles, soup, and rice by the host and hostess.
The host offers the first cup of drink. After the first libation, when the main officiant brings the drink cup down, the host pours drink onto mosa into three times for the sprit. The skewered beef is also offered as an accompaniment. (In Sangnye biyo, Essentials of Funerary Rites, the host opens the lid of the rice bowl at this time.) The invocation official moves to the west side of the host and reads out the written invocation. After the invocation, the host makes two bows for the first libation. The main officiant places drink and the beef into different plates and puts the cup on its place first. As it is the anniversary of the death, the host might wail and express his sadness.
The second libation is offered by the hostess. If there is no wife, the host's brother performs it. After the second libation, when the main officiant brings the drink cup down, the hostess pours drink onto mosa into three times for the sprit. The skewered chicken or gray mullet is also offered as an accompaniment. The main officiant places drink and the food into a different plate and puts the cup on its place first.
The eldest brother, the eldest son, or the eldest of the relatives performs the last libation. After the last libation, when the main officiant brings the drink cup down, the person who offered the last libation, pours drink onto mosa into three times for the sprit. The skewered chicken or gray mullet is also offered as an accompaniment. The person makes two bows.
As the meaning of suggesting having a meal for the ancestral spirit, the host of the household pours additional drink into an offertory cup, and the hostess sticks a spoon in a rice bowl, arranging chopsticks on a plate with the handles heading west. The host makes two bows, while the hostess makes four bows.
The invocation official closes the door and goes out to give the ancestral spirit enough time to eat the offered food. If there is no door, a folding screen is set up to conceal the ritual table and all the attendants bow down for a while. They wait in a solemn atmosphere for a while, which is said to be enough time to scoop rice nine times for a meal.
The invocation official announces the end of the meal with three dry coughs and opens the door. As if people have sungnyung (scorched-rice water) after a meal, the host and the hostess unload the soup and then offer a tea (or water), or mix three spoons of rice with water in a bowl and put a spoon in the bowl too. This procedure is called 'Jinda' or 'Heonda'. At this time, attendants wait for a while to finish sungnyung by the ancestral spirit. In a few minutes after the offering of sungnyung, the main officiant, believing the spirit has finished the entire meal, removes the spoon and chopsticks from the table, and covers the rice bowl with its lid.
Sasin is performed to send back the ancestral spirits back to heavens as the ceremony has finished. The host and others all make four bows. Then, the written invocation is burned, which is called 'Bunchuk'.
Napju is to put the memorial tablet in the tablet chest and enshrine it back at the shrine. As for the paper tablet, burn it in a clean place.
Cheolchan is to clear the memorial service table. Although Gije is no procedure of partaking the food and drink unlike Sasije, today the attendants partake the food and drink after the service and Cheolsang is to clear the Charye table and arrange the ceremony objects from the table. Seongmyo (a visit to one’s ancestral graves) and weeping for the dead can be performed on the anniversary of the death.
