Confucianism - Cross-Cultural Nursing Database

Food culture taboos, etc.

• When eating, do not smoke in front of your superiors until your superiors are done with you.
• When I drink alcohol with older people, I hide my own cup.
  In Korea, we do not hold the bowl and eat with it on the table.
  We eat with chopsticks and a spoon.
• Chopsticks should be placed on the table or on a chopstick rest, and it is considered bad luck to place them parallel to the bowl.
• The food is not taken directly from the serving plate and brought to the mouth, but is placed on one's own plate before being eaten.
• Do not eat all the food on your plate during the meal. (This trend is changing these days)

Other customs and culture

• Social status, age differences, and gender are important factors in relationships.
• Modesty is not considered a virtue, and while they say what they think clearly, they are also kind, compassionate, and devoted to others, even at the expense of themselves.
• Always respect your elders and take them as your greatest teachers.
• The family is a collective entity that is more important than life itself, and within it there is a proper pecking order, headed by the father, the patriarch, and children cannot disobey their parents. When a child grows up and chooses a marriage partner, it is still up to the parents to make the final decision as to whether or not the child can marry.
• From birth to death, human beings obey the will of their parents, respect them, and show courtesy to them.
  (in Japanese history)Korea Guide)

Customs related to end of life, funerals and burials

• Cremation is frowned upon by the strongly Confucian-influenced population, and cremation is the norm (although cremation is on the rise these days due to the scarcity of land).
• Awareness of the continuity of life: We are what we are because of our ancestors, and we are what we are because of our descendants. (It is only when our descendants flourish that our memories will live on for a long time, and that our souls will be called back to this world from time to time.)
• A unique Confucian family-oriented moral system was established, based on ancestor rituals (ancestor memorial services), respect for parents, and the prosperity of offspring.
• Every year, we are supposed to hold a memorial service for our ancestors up to four generations ago. To show filial piety to parents
• In the spirit of Confucianism, there is a strong sense of respect for superiors. Therefore, they hold grand funerals and build magnificent tombs to honor their parents and ancestors.

(What is Confucianism? Chuko Shinsho, Kaji Nobuyuki, 1990) (Institute of Funeral Service)

Customs related to childcare

Confucianism teaches the idea that human nature is good, but that we gradually become good or bad by "learning" (disciplining) from the people and environment around us. Teaching children is based on the idea that parents must first make sure their own conduct is right, and then choose nannies and other people around them, friends, teachers, and the environment. (Childcare Navigator)