During charye, a Korean family traditionally offers food and drink to its ancestors.
Charye is a memorial ceremony held on major holidays such as Chuseok. Families arrange a formal table of offerings, which may include rice, soup, fruit, meat, fish, rice cakes, and alcoholic drinks. The presentation symbolizes respect and remembrance rather than a literal belief that ancestors consume the meal in an ordinary physical sense.
There is no single menu followed by every Korean family. Regional customs, family rules, religion, and modern lifestyles all influence what appears on the table. Many households simplify the rite or use commercially prepared foods.
The offerings are sometimes confused with the separate practice of seongmyo, in which relatives visit ancestral graves. Both customs may occur during Chuseok, but charye is the formal ancestor rite involving an arranged household table of food and drink.