Korean Thanksgiving - Part II

Although we were unbelievably excited to make the rice cake, seeing the ancestral rituals in person is not something that many foreigners get to experience.

The ritual table is set with various fruits, vegetables, rice cakes, and rice wine.

The door is left open to allow the spirits of ancestors into the house (kind of like Elijah at Passover)

The men do a number of different bows after pouring rice wine and lighting incense.

The kids usually have no interest, although they're forced to wear traditional Korean clothing.

He took most of his off as soon as he could. Little punk.

Women serving lunch while the men just sit and be bossy.  There are still some strong sexist elements in Korean society that make younger generations and foreigners uncomfortable.

After lunch, we went off to the family memorials to do another set of rituals for the deceased. This one was for Boram's grandparents.

We did the bowing as well as lighting the incense.

All in all, it was a very unique experience. It is really interesting (and will be interesting to continue watching) how old rituals and customs are still very much rooted in a society that's modernizing faster than most others in the world.