한·몽 상례와 장례의 음식 상징성 비교연구

A Comparative Study on Food Symbol in Rituals Between Korea and Mongolia

This study compared the food symbols in traditional rituals in two different cultures, Korean and Mongolian. Comparing the cultural differences in rituals and the thoughts and perceptions of the deaths and ancestors of people from two cultures is meaningful in terms of the perspective of comparative folklore and culture in East Asia. Therefore, in this study, the similarities and differences between food symbols and various related food symbol elements in Korean and Mongolian rituals were researched, through a comparative folk culture approach. In particular, Mongolia and Korea have had cultural ties with two-way spreading because the two countries share bilateral history of cultural exchanging including personal exchanges during the Yuan dynasty and Goryeo dynasty. After the Mongol invasions of Korea and the capitulation of Korea’s Goryeo dynasty in the 13th century, Goryeo became a semi-autonomous vassal state and compulsory ally of the Yuan dynasty for about 80 years. With vigorous cultural exchanges with the outside world, Goryeo was also impacted by the Mongol culture and customs. As such, historically in East Asia, Mongolia has a number of research subjects that can be studied through a comparative folk culture approach with Korea. Therefore, comparative studies in specific fields appearing in the folk culture of both countries are significant in terms of the comparative folklore. On the other hand, differences also exist in folk culture between the two countries as a cultural difference. From the viewpoint of cultural comparison, unlike Korea, which belongs to the settlement culture, the food symbols in Mongolia, which belongs to the nomadic culture, reflects all of the ideas, folklore, and culture with the characteristics of the nomadic life. Therefore, this study reinterprets how the two different cultures in each country are reflected in food symbols in major rituals, by comparing food symbols and folk meanings in Korean and Mongolian rituals, based on similarities and differences.