Our five-part series “Death and Eternal Life“ provides fascinating insights into funeral customs of the worldwide EMS fellowship. Many of these rituals straddle the line between Christianity and traditional religious beliefs. Churches often play a mediating role. In the first part, we invite you to discover the cemeteries of the Moravian Church in Germany and Greenland: they reflect the unique characteristics of Moravian theology.

All the articles in the series appear for the first time in the current issue of the magazine “EMS Insights”. Written by an editorial team from Africa, Asia and Europe, it offers an international perspective on the work of EMS member churches and mission societies.

What Unites and What Divides – Religions Coexisting Side by Side

Rituals surrounding death and burial are as old as humanity itself. Every culture and religion has its own way of dealing with the deceased and their grieving relatives. The example of South Korea shows that these traditions are by no means rigid but can overlap and undergo dynamic change.

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Photo: private

The South-East Asian country has always been a melting pot of different religious traditions such as Shamanism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity. Over the centuries, all these religions  have influenced and enriched one another in Korea. This is particularly evident in Christian burial rites, which incorporate elements of various religious traditions. There is a lot that unites us but also a lot that divides us.

According to Confucian burial customs dating back to the 14th century, the period of mourning in Korea originally lasted three years. During this time, all family members wore the prescribed mourning clothes and observed certain rituals. If the father died, the eldest son would erect a tent beside the grave and live there for three years. The son's duties during the three-year mourning period included erecting an altar and regularly making offerings of incense, food and alcohol. In this way, he honoured his father and took over his position as head of the family.

However, under the pressure of modern times, funeral customs in Korea have drastically changed. Today, the official mourning period is only five days, sometimes even as few as three. Also, the deceased is usually not laid out at home but in a morgue. The elaborate burial is often replaced by a simpler cremation, mainly because of the costs involved.

THREE DAYS, FOUR CEREMONIES

Christian funeral customs in Korea are based on a fixed procedure that was adopted from traditional Confucian funeral rites. There are four different ceremonies that take place over a period of three days. The first ceremony, called “imjong”, is held immediately after the person dies. In the second ceremony, “ipkwon”, the body is placed in the coffin. The third ceremony, “balin”, takes place on the morning of the third day when the coffin containing the deceased is taken to the cemetery. The fourth and final ceremony, "hagwon", is the actual burial of the coffin in the cemetery or cremation.

Only close friends and family members usually attend the last ceremony. If an entire family is Christian or Confucian, there is no question which rite should be used to bury the deceased. Sometimes, however, family members belong to different religions and this can lead to disagreements about the type of burial. So, to avoid conflict, the rites of different religions are often performed one after the other.

This is what happened when my wife's grandmother died last year at the age of over 90 (see photo above). She and two of her daughters were baptised Christians. Three of her daughters and two of her sons, on the other hand, followed the Confucian tradition. At the funeral, the traditional Confucian rituals took place first with an altar and offerings. While this was happening, all the Christian members of the family stayed in the background and prayed silently. When the Christian pastor arrived, the incense, alcohol and food were removed from the altar and the cross, Bible and flowers were placed there instead. Most family members were present for both the Confucian ceremony and the Christian service. This allowed everyone to grieve in their own way and pay their last respects to the deceased.

The Confucian funeral rites were led by a woman, which would have been unthinkable in the original Confucian tradition. Christianity has had a great influence here. Christian missionaries introduced schooling for girls to Korea in the 19th century, among other things. This empowered the role of women in the long term and increasingly opened up new social opportunities that had previously been denied them in Korea's patriarchal society.

Rev. Dr. Sigamoney Shakespeare 
Theologian and lecturer in religious education at the Yonsei University in South Korea.

Read part 3 of the series “Death and Eternal Life”.