For some reason in Western countries, we don't mark the anniversary of a death as having any significance. In Korea, it is one of the few remaining rituals with any glimpse of traditional Korean culture remaining.
1. If you ever wondered what "Ninjalicious" looks like in Chinese characters, it would be something very close to this Korean variation. It literally translates to "Ninja-flavoured."
2. Gathering supplies to perform a
gijesa, an anniversary funerary rite. The food will be ritually sacrificed to Ninjalicious. Good opportunity to clean out my fridge.
3. The previous day, we carefully selected an appropriate room in an abandoned neighbourhood. The table and mat were moved slightly for the purpose of the ritual.
4. Here's another look at a gijesa setup, not my picture. Basically, lots of food, along with candles, incense, and booze. The fruit in the front row has had the peels sliced off the top in symbolism of the spirits consuming the sacrificed food.
5. This is a ritual performed by everyone in South Korea who isn't Protestant or disconnected with their family traditions. Even Korean Catholics received special permission from the Pope in 1939 to continue performing ancestral worship ceremonies such as this.
6. Our setup wasn't quite as elegant. Foods have to be arranged by type in rows, going left-to-right from least red to most red. This always takes a lot of discussion, because what's more red: a red-peeled orange that's white inside or an orange? It took a lot of discussion and second-guessing to arrange it, and it changed a little shortly after this.
7. It was a bizarre opportunity to introduce some of the younger Korean explorers to the concept of UE as set out by Ninjalicious. Though admittedly this doesn't look remotely like regular urban exploring.
8. Everyone is arrived, so time to begin. As UER moderator, I was the
jeju, or ceremonial host.
9. The only girl in the room was given the only remotely traditional female role in the ceremony, pouring sacrificial liquor.
10. Here's a Canadian and an American practicing a Korean ancestral rite honouring a Canadian who passed away ten years ago this day.
11. The Korean guys bowed deeper but felt a lot more sheepish doing it.
12. Left hand over right is how it's done.
13. The ceremony ends with the burning of the name card. Not the book.
14. I am far from spiritual, but I hope Ninj enjoyed it.
15. I passed my copy of AAA on to the next generation.
16. He was the youngest one, a 19-year-old high school student, but he was the bravest one to try the traditional liquor we had.
17. This stuff. It was found in a trash heap, the cork broken off inside the neck and never opened. The characters don't seem to identify what it is, just its origin.
18. It was dark, sludgy, syrupy, and tasted like highly alcoholic medicine, maybe with licorice or jujube.
19. In AAA, Ninj says that smoking is especially bad if you're an explorer and encourages smokers to quit.
20. What's inside the kimchi pot? Another kimchi pot.
21. Up on the roof.
22.
23. We were still hungry, so after packing everything up, we trudged off to a proper restaurant.
24. Napkin, anyone?
And, that was one of the weirder things I've done in an abandoned building. I think from reading AAA that Ninj would have enjoyed it.
