Revision #6657
Sixtieth Wedding Anniversary Ceremony (Hoehonsik)
Localized for English-speaking readers
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## Definition and Meaning
- Hoehonsik (回婚式) is a ceremony commemorating the sixtieth year of a couple's marriage; traditionally it was called *hoehollye* (回婚禮). The character *hoe* (回) means "to return." The term signifies that the sexagenary designation (*ganji*, 干支, the name of a year in a cycle that repeats every sixty years) of the year in which the couple married has come around again.
+ A sixtieth wedding anniversary ceremony commemorates the sixtieth year of a couple's marriage. In Korea it was traditionally called *hoehollye*, and today it is known as *hoehonsik*. The name means "return," signifying that the year of the couple's wedding has come around again in the traditional sixty-year calendar cycle.
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- The terms often used alongside it, *eunhonsik* (silver wedding anniversary) and *geumhonsik* (golden wedding anniversary), come from Western customs marking the twenty-fifth and fiftieth anniversaries of marriage, respectively. Strictly speaking, therefore, they refer to a different number of years than hoehonsik. In Korean churches, however, these terms are often used together in the broader sense of a commemorative service giving thanks for a long married life.
+ The silver and golden wedding anniversaries, which mark the twenty-fifth and fiftieth years of marriage, come from Western custom and so strictly refer to a different number of years. In Korean churches, however, these terms are often used together with the sixtieth anniversary in the broader sense of a commemorative service giving thanks for a long married life.
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= ## Biblical and Historical Background
- Scripture contains no command to observe wedding anniversaries or a hoehon ceremony. The church, however, understands marriage as a covenant made before God. On the basis of passages such as Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:6, and Ephesians 5:31-32, it therefore holds in high regard a husband and wife remaining together for life. Hoehon services frequently cite "The hoary head is a crown of glory" (Proverbs 16:31) and Psalm 128, which celebrates the blessing of seeing one's descendants.
+ Scripture contains no command to observe wedding anniversaries or a sixtieth anniversary ceremony. The church, however, understands marriage as a covenant made before God. On the basis of passages such as Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:6, and Ephesians 5:31-32, it therefore holds in high regard a husband and wife remaining together for life. Anniversary services of this kind frequently cite "The hoary head is a crown of glory" (Proverbs 16:31) and Psalm 128, which celebrates the blessing of seeing one's descendants.
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- *Hoehollye* was a custom practiced among yangban (scholar-official) families during the Joseon dynasty. The elderly couple would put on ceremonial attire as at their wedding, reenact the marriage rite, and receive the congratulations of their descendants. The ceremony is said to have been regarded as complete only if both spouses were living and none of their children had died before them. In an era of short life expectancy, it was a rare occasion for celebration.
+ In Korea, the sixtieth anniversary rite was a custom practiced among scholar-official (*yangban*) families during the Joseon dynasty. The elderly couple would put on ceremonial attire as at their wedding, reenact the marriage rite, and receive the congratulations of their descendants. The ceremony is said to have been regarded as complete only if both spouses were living and none of their children had died before them. In an era of short life expectancy, it was a rare occasion for celebration.
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= ## Practice in Korean Churches
- Korean churches have adapted traditional celebrations such as *hoehollye* and the *hoegap* (sixtieth birthday) banquet into the form of thanksgiving services. This is sometimes explained as being in the same vein as replacing ancestral rites with memorial services.
+ Korean Protestant churches have adapted traditional celebrations such as the sixtieth wedding anniversary rite and the sixtieth birthday banquet into the form of thanksgiving services. This is sometimes explained as being in the same vein as replacing ancestral rites with memorial services.
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- - **Hoehon thanksgiving service**: The couple's children invite the senior pastor or another member of the pastoral staff to lead a service at home, at church, or in a banquet hall. The service proceeds with hymns, a representative prayer, Scripture reading, a sermon, and words of thanks; it sometimes includes a time in which the couple renew their marriage vows.
+ - **Anniversary thanksgiving service**: The couple's children invite the senior pastor or another member of the pastoral staff to lead a service at home, at church, or in a banquet hall. The service proceeds with hymns, a representative prayer, Scripture reading, a sermon, and words of thanks; it sometimes includes a time in which the couple renew their marriage vows.
= - **After the service**: Children and grandchildren bow to the couple or present flowers or a commemorative plaque, and the family shares a meal together.
= - **Congregational celebration**: Some churches honor all qualifying couples together on Parents' Sunday or Seniors' Sunday.
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- Most denominations, including the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Holiness churches, do not include the hoehon ceremony as a formal rite in their church constitutions. The order of service is left to the discretion of each church and pastor. Typically, a service led by a pastor closes with the benediction, while one led by a layperson at home closes with the Lord's Prayer. As average life expectancy has risen, golden anniversary thanksgiving services have become common, and hoehon thanksgiving services are also held more often than in the past.
+ Most Korean denominations, including the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Holiness churches, do not include the sixtieth anniversary ceremony as a formal rite in their church constitutions. The order of service is left to the discretion of each church and pastor. Typically, a service led by a pastor closes with the benediction, while one led by a layperson at home closes with the Lord's Prayer. As average life expectancy has risen, golden anniversary thanksgiving services have become common, and sixtieth anniversary thanksgiving services are also held more often than in the past.
Hoehonsik (回婚式) is a ceremony held in the sixtieth year of a couple's marriage to commemorate their life together. In Korean churches it is usually observed as a hoehon thanksgiving service.
A sixtieth wedding anniversary ceremony is held in the sixtieth year of a couple's marriage to commemorate their life together. In Korean Protestant churches it is usually observed as a thanksgiving service for the anniversary.
Full revision
A sixtieth wedding anniversary ceremony is held in the sixtieth year of a couple's marriage to commemorate their life together. In Korean Protestant churches it is usually observed as a thanksgiving service for the anniversary.
Definition and Meaning
A sixtieth wedding anniversary ceremony commemorates the sixtieth year of a couple's marriage. In Korea it was traditionally called hoehollye, and today it is known as hoehonsik. The name means "return," signifying that the year of the couple's wedding has come around again in the traditional sixty-year calendar cycle.
The silver and golden wedding anniversaries, which mark the twenty-fifth and fiftieth years of marriage, come from Western custom and so strictly refer to a different number of years. In Korean churches, however, these terms are often used together with the sixtieth anniversary in the broader sense of a commemorative service giving thanks for a long married life.
Biblical and Historical Background
Scripture contains no command to observe wedding anniversaries or a sixtieth anniversary ceremony. The church, however, understands marriage as a covenant made before God. On the basis of passages such as Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:6, and Ephesians 5:31-32, it therefore holds in high regard a husband and wife remaining together for life. Anniversary services of this kind frequently cite "The hoary head is a crown of glory" (Proverbs 16:31) and Psalm 128, which celebrates the blessing of seeing one's descendants.
In Korea, the sixtieth anniversary rite was a custom practiced among scholar-official (yangban) families during the Joseon dynasty. The elderly couple would put on ceremonial attire as at their wedding, reenact the marriage rite, and receive the congratulations of their descendants. The ceremony is said to have been regarded as complete only if both spouses were living and none of their children had died before them. In an era of short life expectancy, it was a rare occasion for celebration.
Practice in Korean Churches
Korean Protestant churches have adapted traditional celebrations such as the sixtieth wedding anniversary rite and the sixtieth birthday banquet into the form of thanksgiving services. This is sometimes explained as being in the same vein as replacing ancestral rites with memorial services.
- Anniversary thanksgiving service: The couple's children invite the senior pastor or another member of the pastoral staff to lead a service at home, at church, or in a banquet hall. The service proceeds with hymns, a representative prayer, Scripture reading, a sermon, and words of thanks; it sometimes includes a time in which the couple renew their marriage vows.
- After the service: Children and grandchildren bow to the couple or present flowers or a commemorative plaque, and the family shares a meal together.
- Congregational celebration: Some churches honor all qualifying couples together on Parents' Sunday or Seniors' Sunday.
Most Korean denominations, including the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Holiness churches, do not include the sixtieth anniversary ceremony as a formal rite in their church constitutions. The order of service is left to the discretion of each church and pastor. Typically, a service led by a pastor closes with the benediction, while one led by a layperson at home closes with the Lord's Prayer. As average life expectancy has risen, golden anniversary thanksgiving services have become common, and sixtieth anniversary thanksgiving services are also held more often than in the past.