Poster scrolls carrying messages wishing for family harmony through financial success have become a popular item in North Korea’s markets. The popularity of the scrolls is thought to be indicative of shifting values in North Korea, wherein financial success has become more important than worshiping the Kim family.
“We receive nothing from the authorities, so the scrolls are really tapping into the idea that we must unite as a family and make ends meet ourselves,” a source in South Pyongan Province said.
The scrolls sell for USD $10-15 and are commonly displayed in homes to block bad luck from entering and bring good fortune into the home. Many families bought the scrolls and hung them up for the Chuseok autumn harvest holiday.
“Women are cooking grains to place as tributes at the tombs of their ancestors. Alcohol is passed around and incense is burned as the family members ask their ancestors to help usher in good luck and earn money. Some residents believe that the scrolls, once hung up in their homes, prevent bad energy from coming inside and help bring fortune and happiness to the family,” she said.
“The common belief is that hanging up a scroll on Chuseok will bring money into the home, so they are happy to spend on the purchase. In the past, the scrolls were typically given as wedding gifts to newlyweds, but these days, merchants give them to each other to wish financial success and people also exchange them on holidays like Chuseok.”
The scrolls feature Chinese characters with an idiom roughly translating to: “Harmony at home makes all go well.” However, there is a nuance to the meaning of the phrase in North Korea. The North Korean interpretation is closer to: “A home needs money to ensure harmony and to pay respect to elders and ancestors”.
North Koreans commonly believe that the success of the family depends on money. These days, the family harmony scrolls are prized above Kim family portraits as family heirlooms.
According to the source, the family harmony scrolls have been popular since 2010. At the time, the authorities were promoting the idea of family harmony as the fundamental building block of a successful society. This was in reaction to rising divorce rates that accompanied the country’s rapid marketization, which saw women become the breadwinner in most families.
But the social harmony campaign launched by the authorities had some unintended consequences. It is widely understood that many of North Korea’s family problems have arisen from the fact that men, the traditional heads of the household, are required to work in state factories but do not receive substantial income or public distribution (food) from the state.
“More and more men are beginning to perceive it as natural that women become market traders. There are even cases of domestic violence occurring wherein men beat their wives when they think they haven’t earned enough,” a separate source in North Pyongan Province added.
These kinds of “inharmonious family” situations are particularly prevalent during the holiday season.
The source explained that some men from poorer homes grumble and complain if their wives aren’t able to buy sufficient offerings to put on the ancestral rites table for Chuseok. “This leads to conflict following such exchanges and the holiday season is spent in tears,” she said.
“The richer class are calling taxis and going to visit their family members during the holiday, but poor people simply tend to their ancestors’ graves and drink a bit of alcohol. The poorer the family, the more likely the husband is to beat the wife.”
