Panel 1-3 Manchu ‘Bobo’ Culture and Sacrificial Rites /Park Soojin

Park Soojin
Researcher, Mythology Research Center of Yonsei Institute for Sinology, Republic of Korea
 
　　In Manchu sacrifices, various foods are used as offerings, including pork, duck, fish, grains, alcohol, and the pastries known as ‘bobo’ (餑餑). Among these, "bobo," which is a staple of the Manchu diet, refers broadly to pastries, breads, steamed buns, or dumplings made from processed and shaped grain flour. To date, research on the offerings used in Manchu sacrifice has predominantly focused on the animal sacrifice (肉祭祀), the custom of presenting slaughtered living creatures as offerings, which has its origins in the Manchu’s hunting tradition. While the precise time when ‘bobo’ began to be used in the rites remains uncertain, it can be surmised that this practice emerged from a cultural context distinct from the hunting tradition. By the Ming-Jin era, the essential structure of the Manchu diet was established, and ‘bobo’ had already become significant in Jurchen culinary culture. Historical records suggest that the use of ‘bobo’ in sacrifices began during this period. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the specific forms and methods by which ‘bobo’ is used in Manchu sacrifices, and further, to examine the symbolic meanings inherent in its shape and ritual application. This will help reveal the mythological and cultural context of ‘bobo’. Furthermore, this line of inquiry will contribute to a comparative study of Manchu-Korean ritual cultures, specifically looking at the connections between Manchu sacrifices and the ‘tteok’ (rice cake) culture used in Korean rites.

Keywords: Manchu (滿族), Rites, Offering, Bobo (餑餑), Comparative Study of Manchu and Korean Ritual Cultures


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