The Four Ceremonial Occasions

In Silla (신라), it is surmised from records showing that partners bowed to each other, and held a feast after the ceremony that there was a ritual similar to the Confucian wedding.

[1][2] According to the text 삼국지三國志 (the Records of the Three Kingdoms, 魏志 東夷傳), in this part of Korea at that time, there was a fixed period for the wearing of mourning dress and holding of funeral rites.

The Confucian rites began to spread, with active acceptance of one of the Chinese texts on etiquette, 가례家禮, by officials of the later phase of the Goryeo dynasty.

[1] The Joseon dynasty (조선) adopted Neo-Confucianism as its ruling ideology, and the institution of Gwanhonsangje was established as a Confucian system.

[1][2] As a result, books relating to etiquette (예서禮書) written in the Joseon style began to appear from the early 16th century.

At the end of the Joseon Dynasty, the arrival of Western culture saw the beginnings of change in the traditional ritual.

[1] In 1934, the Governor-General of Korea modified Gwanhonsangje, declaring a "rite rule" which forced the simplification of rituals in the name of modernization.

[1][2] This practice is one of the ceremonies held in the East Asian countries that follow the Confucian cultural tradition (China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan).

[1][2] The meaning of coming of age is defined in the classic Asian book on manners, the YeSeo (예서): “to awaken responsibility as an adult, and its purpose is to make one perform one’s duties.” Gwallye (관례; 冠禮) and Gyelye (계례; 筓禮) refer to the annual ritual, which is a coming of age ceremony (성년례) awakening a child's development to maturity and granting him or her responsibilities and duties as an adult.

[2][1] To mark the Gwallye ceremony, a man, on reaching an age between 15 and 20, ties his hair in a topknot (상투) and puts on a crown.

In the Gyelye ritual, a woman who is over the age of 15 takes on an adult appearance by wearing a binyeo (비녀), or ornamental hairpin, along with other sorts of attire.

When young people reach the age of 19, the relevant unit within the Ministry brings them together, and the president of each organization hosts a simple event.

[4] Generally, friends celebrate on Coming of Age Day with a gift of roses, perfumes, kisses, or according to each person's request.

[2] The annual modern Coming of Age Day celebration was originally hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Today, people usually marry at 20 or later.Uihon (의혼; 議婚) is a ritual in which the families of the bride and the bridegroom consider the appearance, education and personality of the marriage partner.

However, the wedding may only proceed if the couple do not share the same surname and family origin (동성동본), and provided that it will not take place during the one-year span of a mourning period.

Jeonanlye (전안례; 奠雁禮) is a ritual in which the bride and her family greet the bridegroom and hold the wedding, daelye (대례).

[10] The stages of the traditional marriage rites are as follows: Sangrye (상례; 喪禮) is the name of the ceremony accompanying burial of a deceased person after their passage through the final gateway of death.

[11] Similar to the beliefs held in many societies, death is believed to be more than the ceasing of biological activity, and to involve the soul's transitioning from this world to another.

Jerye is a courtesy term covering the holding of many ancestral rites, and is a statement of etiquette concerning ancestor worship.

Jerye (祭禮) is an act of expressing sincerity by offering sacrifices of food to the spirit, the soul of the dead, and to demons, including the god.

In East Asian culture with a Chinese influence, the ceremony for New Year, or Chuseok, is called Chalye (차례).

In broad terms, it refers to all of the rituals involving the offering of sacrifice, relating to shamanism, ancestor worship, and animism.

The following foods are prohibited at a memorial ceremony and may not be served or placed on ritual tables: According to traditional belief and rules still applied, the ghosts hate red and garlic.

[citation needed] The current priesthood is not a tradition that has been handed down from the past, but rather dates from the Korean War.