How to Set a Jesa Table: “Red East, White West”? “Jujubes, Chestnuts, Pears, Persimmons”? What Matters Most for Chuseok Rites

The foods placed on a ritual table vary by region and family. Apart from a few staples, families may also prepare regional specialties or foods their ancestors enjoyed. Although ritual foods differ, table arrangements follow certain conventions. There are five to remember: eodongyukseo, dudongmiseo, jwapouhye, joyurisi, and hongdongbaekseo. Their meanings are not difficult once explained. Eodongyukseo means placing fish in the east and meat in the west, while dudongmiseo means positioning the head toward the east and the tail toward the west. Jwapouhye means placing dried meat or fish at the far left and sikhye at the far right. The widely known joyurisi calls for arranging jujubes, chestnuts, pears, and dried persimmons from left to right, while hongdongbaekseo is the rule that red fruit goes in the east and white fruit in the west. Regarding the order of the dishes, if the side with the incense is considered the front, foods such as jujubes, dried persimmons, and apples go in the front row. The second row holds seasoned vegetables and sikhye; the third, soup dishes, fish, and tofu; the fourth, fish, meat, and pan-fried battered meat; and the final row, songpyeon, rice cakes, a cup of liquor, and soup.

There is one point worth considering: Must these rules for arranging a ritual table really be followed? Some experts say such rules are not specified in traditional Confucian ritual etiquette. The scholars Toegye Yi Hwang and Yulgok Yi I are also said to have taught that no fixed rules had to govern ancestral-rite tables; arrangements could vary according to the times and each household’s circumstances. In other words, the original ritual etiquette prescribes neither mandatory foods nor rules for arranging them on the table. Ultimately, what matters is sincerity and devotion. This Chuseok, rather than worrying too much about ritual foods and table arrangements, why not focus on enjoying the holiday with family?