Monday, April 10, 2017

When someone passes away in Korea, friends and family get the word out through phone calls and text messages. A funeral parlor is set up a hospitals. People come to attend the wake and pay their respects. They usually offer condolence money for the funeral expenses. They do what they can to console the family of the deceased. Traditionally, mourners offer a white chrysanthemum and light incense. Then, they bow twice to a portrait of the departed. They also bow to the surviving family. These days, some people don't bow because of religious reasons. After the mourning period, the coffin is moved to the burial site. Usually, only family and close friends make the trip together.