Articles on the Korean Gosa Blessing Ceremony
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The Gosa is a common blessing ritual that can easily be performed by people themselves, without the need of a Mudang. It contains many of the typical shamanist features, such as various food and alcohol offerings, burning incense, bowing, and especially the central place of a pig's head offering. It is commonly performed for a new car, or a new truck for a small business owner, and it is also performed for opening a new business, beginning a construction project, or in the film and TV industry at the beginning of a new production season.
Here are a couple of short media articles that describe a Gosa ceremony. |
Nothing Says "Lucky" Like a Swine Head
"Glimpse of Korean Culture - Gosa"
Korea Joongang Daily - Dec 07, 2011
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2945173
You have probably come across an array of boiled pig heads on display at street vendors in traditional markets such as Namdaemun.
Those pig heads are mostly purchased by people who are launching their own business, starting a business-related project, moving into a new house or buying a new car.
The more smiley the pig is the better, the traditional saying goes. The cost ranges between 10,000 won ($8.84) and 30,000 won depending on the quality.
Then the heads are placed on the table along with many different kinds of dishes from sirutteok (layered sticky rice cake made of adzuki beans) to dried pollack, steamed rice, jjeon (Korean pancakes), pears, apples and chestnuts as well as alcoholic drinks including makgeolli (fermented rice beer) and soju.
Visitors stick cash - in multiples of 10,000 won - they have prepared into the mouth and ears of the pig head. (The cash goes to the host of the event.) Then they kneel down and bow to the table. Some people choose not to bow due to religious reasons. When the ritual is over, the visitors eat and drink together. The pig head is also sliced and eaten with fermented baby shrimp.
The whole process is called gosa in Korean, which refers to a shamanistic ritual intended to prevent misfortune and bring good luck. As the superstition goes out of fashion, with the modernization of Korean society, fewer people in the past decades hold the gosa ritual when they move to a new house.
The rice cake with adzuki beans is used for the ritual because the color of the grains is traditionally known to expel evil spirits.
For Koreans, pigs represent money and fertility. The reason the animal is associated with money is that the Chinese character meaning pig reads don, which also means “money” in Korean.
Also, pigs are known to be able to breed up to 15 at a time. That is why when pigs appear in dreams, people take it as a sign of good luck and go buy a lottery ticket.
Despite the long-held tradition, an increasing number of Koreans find it unpleasant to see an amputated head of an animal. Some have begun to replace it with a sugar-coated cake resembling a pig’s head.
By Seo Ji-eun (Reporter)
"Glimpse of Korean Culture - Gosa"
Korea Joongang Daily - Dec 07, 2011
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2945173
You have probably come across an array of boiled pig heads on display at street vendors in traditional markets such as Namdaemun.
Those pig heads are mostly purchased by people who are launching their own business, starting a business-related project, moving into a new house or buying a new car.
The more smiley the pig is the better, the traditional saying goes. The cost ranges between 10,000 won ($8.84) and 30,000 won depending on the quality.
Then the heads are placed on the table along with many different kinds of dishes from sirutteok (layered sticky rice cake made of adzuki beans) to dried pollack, steamed rice, jjeon (Korean pancakes), pears, apples and chestnuts as well as alcoholic drinks including makgeolli (fermented rice beer) and soju.
Visitors stick cash - in multiples of 10,000 won - they have prepared into the mouth and ears of the pig head. (The cash goes to the host of the event.) Then they kneel down and bow to the table. Some people choose not to bow due to religious reasons. When the ritual is over, the visitors eat and drink together. The pig head is also sliced and eaten with fermented baby shrimp.
The whole process is called gosa in Korean, which refers to a shamanistic ritual intended to prevent misfortune and bring good luck. As the superstition goes out of fashion, with the modernization of Korean society, fewer people in the past decades hold the gosa ritual when they move to a new house.
The rice cake with adzuki beans is used for the ritual because the color of the grains is traditionally known to expel evil spirits.
For Koreans, pigs represent money and fertility. The reason the animal is associated with money is that the Chinese character meaning pig reads don, which also means “money” in Korean.
Also, pigs are known to be able to breed up to 15 at a time. That is why when pigs appear in dreams, people take it as a sign of good luck and go buy a lottery ticket.
Despite the long-held tradition, an increasing number of Koreans find it unpleasant to see an amputated head of an animal. Some have begun to replace it with a sugar-coated cake resembling a pig’s head.
By Seo Ji-eun (Reporter)
A Pig’s Head on the Ceremonial Table
"A Gosa Ceremony at POSTECH"
The way tradition mixes together with technology in POSTECH
포항공대신문 303호, 2011년 03월 23일 (수)
http://times.postech.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=5523
In Korea, a ceremony named “Gosa” is performed for new businesses to ensure safety and goodwill. While some might question whether science and faith can coexist together, in POSTECH, ranked as a leading science and technology university, tradition harmoniously mixes together with technology.
On March 17, Haeoreumsik, the annual Gosa ceremony hosted by the Student Union, was held at Atlas Hall at lunch time. Eight student bodies including the Student Union gathered and displayed their panels for advertisement.
A typical Gosa ceremony consists of a memorial address by the ceremonial master and a special table, laid out with various foods, such as fruits, dried fish, rice, and a pig’s head. The ceremony began with the announcement by the ceremony master, Lee Jeong-hwan, student president. After the memorial address, the ceremonial master bowed twice before the gods and served them a drink and foods.
Students seemed to draw a sharp line between the Gosa ceremony and their personal beliefs. “I’m a sort of middle-of-the-roader. I don’t believe we should do the ceremony, but at the same time, we don’t have to ban this,” said Hong Yeong-jin (SEE, Integrated 10’). Overseas students saw the ceremony as an interesting Korean traditional event. “Personally I don’t believe in God, but I think this is a good way to start a safe and sound new year. Anyhow, it’s a traditional event,” said Mohammad Reza Rezapour (PHYS. Ph.D candidate).
But still, there was an uncomfortable atmosphere towards the Gosa ceremony. The Department of Chemical Engineering had to change the pig’s head for the ceremonial table to a cream cake. Annually, the CE department held an opening event for a new semester and members including professors and students participated in the event and prayed for safety at the Gosa ceremony. The problem is that it has been almost obligatory for freshmen to participate in the event. This leaves no room for freedom, especially for those who have a religion which prohibits idol worship. The CE Department student representative replaced a pig’s head with a cake because some students, especially churchgoers, feel uncomfortable with it.
“I believe we should look at the Gosa ceremony as an event for communication,” said Park Jun-beom (CE, 08’). “It’s an opportunity to communicate with other student bodies and advertise what we do for all students’ convenience. The way we do so is unimportant. It’s a traditional way and I believe it won’t tarnish our goal.”
Reporter Lee Suh-young (http://times.postech.ac.kr)
"A Gosa Ceremony at POSTECH"
The way tradition mixes together with technology in POSTECH
포항공대신문 303호, 2011년 03월 23일 (수)
http://times.postech.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=5523
In Korea, a ceremony named “Gosa” is performed for new businesses to ensure safety and goodwill. While some might question whether science and faith can coexist together, in POSTECH, ranked as a leading science and technology university, tradition harmoniously mixes together with technology.
On March 17, Haeoreumsik, the annual Gosa ceremony hosted by the Student Union, was held at Atlas Hall at lunch time. Eight student bodies including the Student Union gathered and displayed their panels for advertisement.
A typical Gosa ceremony consists of a memorial address by the ceremonial master and a special table, laid out with various foods, such as fruits, dried fish, rice, and a pig’s head. The ceremony began with the announcement by the ceremony master, Lee Jeong-hwan, student president. After the memorial address, the ceremonial master bowed twice before the gods and served them a drink and foods.
Students seemed to draw a sharp line between the Gosa ceremony and their personal beliefs. “I’m a sort of middle-of-the-roader. I don’t believe we should do the ceremony, but at the same time, we don’t have to ban this,” said Hong Yeong-jin (SEE, Integrated 10’). Overseas students saw the ceremony as an interesting Korean traditional event. “Personally I don’t believe in God, but I think this is a good way to start a safe and sound new year. Anyhow, it’s a traditional event,” said Mohammad Reza Rezapour (PHYS. Ph.D candidate).
But still, there was an uncomfortable atmosphere towards the Gosa ceremony. The Department of Chemical Engineering had to change the pig’s head for the ceremonial table to a cream cake. Annually, the CE department held an opening event for a new semester and members including professors and students participated in the event and prayed for safety at the Gosa ceremony. The problem is that it has been almost obligatory for freshmen to participate in the event. This leaves no room for freedom, especially for those who have a religion which prohibits idol worship. The CE Department student representative replaced a pig’s head with a cake because some students, especially churchgoers, feel uncomfortable with it.
“I believe we should look at the Gosa ceremony as an event for communication,” said Park Jun-beom (CE, 08’). “It’s an opportunity to communicate with other student bodies and advertise what we do for all students’ convenience. The way we do so is unimportant. It’s a traditional way and I believe it won’t tarnish our goal.”
Reporter Lee Suh-young (http://times.postech.ac.kr)
