Cheongcheon-ri, Goesan-gun, Chungbuk is best known as the village where the grave of Uam Song Si-yeol is situated. Song Si-yeol was a prominent scholar-official of late Joseon and the leader of the Noron party.

On Hansik Day in April, Uam’s descendants pay a visit to their illustrious ancestor’s grave.

This memorial ceremony is attended by Uam’s descendants residing in Goesan and Cheongju.

After a brief moment spent greeting the relatives in attendance, the heir of the Song clan heads out for the graveyard at the mountain top. When bowing to the grave, all worshippers take off their shoes, as etiquette toward ancestors requires.

The ritual at the graveyard is only a prelude. The main part of Uam’s memorial ceremony takes place at the shrine. At the graveyard, they place a few home-prepared dishes on the stone altar and perform goyu, the act of reporting to ancestral spirits about major events in the family. This simplified ritual performed at the graveyard is called "cheon."

When the cheon ritual is over, all attendants head toward the shrine located further downslope from the graveyard.

In arranging sacrificial offerings on the altar, the household of the heir of Uam's lineage adheres to the so-called 'red food in the east and white food in the west' rule. This is why the light golden brown-skinned pears have been peeled before they are placed on the west side of the altar.

As joint memorial services for spouses are practiced in this family, the memorial of Uam's wife is performed at the same time. When the spirit of the ancestor has been escorted to the shrine from the graveyard, all descendants who are of the same generation as, or of a lower generation than, the lineage heir pay respect by bowing twice to the altar.

The lineage heir now notifies all ancestral spirits residing in heaven and the underworld of the fact that a memorial ceremony will shortly take place.

As a way of announcing the start of the ceremony to ancestral spirits, incense is burned. Next, wine is poured, in three successive stages, into a ritualistic footed goblet called "mosagi."

Pouring wine into a mosagi is a symbolic gesture of summoning ancestral spirits residing in the underworld.

One thing that sets apart the jeolsa ceremony in the household of the heir of the Uam's lineage is that wine is poured from a standing position.

After the first libation, skewered beef is offered at the altar. Interestingly, meat and fish dishes and the radish soup are presented at the altar progressively over the course of the ceremony, instead of being placed there all at once at the beginning of the ceremony.

Next, a prayer text is read in an act known as "dokchuk" to address the ancestral spirit.

At the end of dokchuk, the lineage heir bows alone to the altar twice, while other participants look on.

The second libation is followed by the offering of skewered chicken, and after the third and last liberations, skewered fish is presented at the altar.

The rules and proceedings of a memorial ceremony vary somewhat depending on family tradition.

Of the three libations, the third is made by the oldest participant of the ceremony.

The final libation is followed by hammun, which is a brief period during which the descendants leave the room to let the ancestor enjoy the food offerings in peace.

After hammun is jinda, during which the soup bowl is removed from the altar and replaced by a bowl of boiled scorched rice tea.

Next, the silverware is removed, and the lid is put back on the rice bowl; which is known as "cheolsibokban."

This is then followed by sasin, during which all participants bow to the altar to bid farewell to the ancestral spirit.

Next, bunchuk, the ritualistic burning of the prayer text and the paper spirit tablet, takes place. Bunchuk is performed outside the shrine by the lineage heir.

[Interview]: You just can't make things like that today. There is this sindobi memorial on the left side of the shrine, honoring Uam's life and work.

Uam's descendants also regularly hold rites for mountain spirits at the sindobi pavilion.

By sacrificing to mountain spirits, they hope that these spirits will look after their ancestor's grave.

Hansik-day Ancestral Rite - Remembering One's Roots While Feasting on Sacrificial Food

As a way of expressing our gratitude toward those to whom we owe our very existence, looking after ancestral graves and honoring ancestors through memorial ceremonies is an exemplary act of filial piety.

The Hansik memorial ceremony is also an excellent opportunity to learn more about family traditions and forge closer bonds with family members.