Boy 1st Birthday Party

Korean birthday celebrations are an important part of the Korean culture. When a person reaches an important age in his or her life Koreans celebrate to mark these milestones.

Tol

Tol is probably the most well known of all the Korean birthday celebrations. This celebration happens on the first birthday of a child. When Korea had very little medicinal knowledge, a lot of newborns would die because of Korea’s seasonal temperature differences and many childhood related diseases. If a child lived to be one years old during those times it was a very joyous occasion.

The first thing that happens in this celebration is prayer. Korean would pray to two of the many Korean gods, Sanshin, the mountain god, and Samshin, the birth goddess. Koreans would prepare the praying table with specific foods, a bowl of steamed white rice, sea mustard soup (miyeok-guk), and a bowl of pure water. There would also be layered red bean rice cakes or samshin siru placed next to the praying table. This rice cake was not shared outside the family because they believed that sharing this particular item with people outside the family would bring bad luck to the child. After everything on the praying table was ready the mother or grandmother of the child would pray to Sanshin and Samshin with two hands together and rubbing her palms. She would ask for her child's longevity, wish luck to the mountain god, and give thanks to the birth goddess. After she finished her prayer she would bow to Samshin several times. Females were the only ones allowed to participate in this ceremony. Males were forbidden to be part of the praying. The time the praying ceremony commenced depended on the region. People from Seoul would pray in the early morning of the child birthday while some regions prayed the night before. Today this part of the celebrations is usually skipped over because Korean Shamanism, the religion that worship the Korean gods, is rarely practiced.

Before the main part of the celebration the baby is dressed in very colorful and dressy clothing called tol-bok. The tol-bok that the child wears is different depending on the child’s sex. A boy would traditionally wear: pink or striped jogori (jacket) with puple or gray paji (pants), striped durumagi (long jacket), a blue vest printed with a gold or silver pattern or a striped magoja (jacket), a jonbok (long blue vest) with a gold or silver pattern, bokgun (black hat with a long tail), and a tarae-busun (traditional socks). A girl would wear: striped jogory (jacket), long, red chima (skirt), gold and silver printed jobawi (hat), and a tarae-busun (traditional socks). In addition to their tol-boks both boy and girl would wear a long tol-ddi (a belt that wraps around the body twice) for longevity and a tol-jumuni (pouch) for luck. The tol-jumuni would be made of fine silk with a thread to open and close it. Buttons were not used in the tol-bok to symbolize longevity.

The Toljabee is the main celebration of Tol. First there is a huge table prepared with over twelve different types of rice cakes or ddeok, the main food. Some of the ddeoks or ricecakes prepared for the table are paekseolgi (white steamed rice cakes), susu-kyongdan (rice cakes coated with rough red bean powder), mujigae-ddeok (rainbow colored steamed rice cake) and gyep'i-ddeok (puffed air rice cakes). Along with the deeok there is also fruit. The fruit on the table depends on the season. There is also a bowl of rice, miyeok-guk, and other various foods placed on the table. Food is not the only thing on the table. There are also large bundle of thread, a brush, a Korean calligraphy set, pencil, book, money (10,000 won bills), bow and arrow (needle, scissors, and ruler for girls). After the table is set the parents sit the baby on a traditional Korean mattress called bolou and Korean cushions or bangsuk. This is usually done so that relatives can get better pictures of the infant. There would also be a traditional screen in the background. The toljiabee event then starts. The baby picks up various items on the table that attracts him or her. The items that the child picks up is said to predict the child’s future. If a child picks up a bow and arrow it is said that the child will be strong and a warrior. If the child picked up the thread the child will have long life. A child who picks up a pencil, book or a calligraphy set is said to become a good scholar. A child who picks rice, rice cake, or the money will become rich (Some say that choosing the rice or rice cake also means the childwill be dumb). If a ruler, scissors or a needle is chosen it is said that the child will be talented with her hands. If the child choses a knife then the child will become a good chef. Today the bow and arrow are usually not part of the items.

Beak-il

Another birthday celebration is Baek-il or the 100th day celebration. During this celebration the family worships Samshin. They give her offerings of rice and soup for having cared for the infant and the mother, and for having helped them live through a difficult period. They give thanks to Samshin and they also pray for jae-ak (wealth), longevity, and cho-bok (original luck). After the prayer the family, relatives and friends then celebrate with rice cakes, wine, and other delicacies such as red and black bean cakes sweetened with sugar or honey. In order to protect the child the red bean rice cakes were placed at the four compass points of the house. This did not only bring protection but was also believed to bring good fortune and happiness. It is widely believed by the Korean people that if one hundred people shared the rice cakes the child will live a long life. So the family would also send rice cakes to neighbors and other folk. Those who receive rice cakes return the vessels with skeins of thread, expressing the hope of longevity, and rice and money, symbolizing future wealth.

Hwangap

When a person turns 60 there is a great celebration known as hwangap. This is considered a great year because when the person turns 60 then the sexagenary cycle of the Chinese zodiac is complete. Each person is born under one of the twelve zodiac animals. In addition a person is born under one of the five elements of the Yin Yang: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. It takes 60 years for the zodiac animal and the element one is born under to align. Another reason that hwangap is so important to the Korean people was that a long time ago, before the advent of modern medicine; it was very uncommon for a person to live to 60. There is a big celebration where children honor their parents with a large feast and much merrymaking. Part of the celebration involved the children of the birthday celebrant, starting from the eldest, would bow and offer wine to their parents. After the children gave their respects to their parents their children show respect to their grandparent in the same way. While these rituals are being carried out, traditional music is usually played and professional entertainers sing songs, urging people to drink. In order to make the recipient of the hwangap feel younger, adults and teens would usually dress in children’s clothing. They would also sing children songs and dance as well. These days hwangap is celebrated on the 70th birthday instead. This is because modern medicine has improved so that most people live to see 60.

Coming of Age Rites

A less well known birthday celebration is when a boy or girl of the Confucian faith reaches their adult age (20 for the boy and 15 for the girl). When a boy turn into an adult he would tie his hair into a top knot and is given a kat (traditional cylindrical Korean hat made of horse hair). They would also test the boy’s strength by having him lift a heavy rock. If he is able to lift and move the rock he was considered a man. A girl would turn into an adult by rolling her braided hair into a chignon bun and fixing it with a long ornamental hairpin called a pinyo.

References

1. ^ Child's first brithday (tol). Retrieved 10/05, 2008, from http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/tol/tol.cfm#baekil
2. ^ Child's first brithday (tol). Retrieved 10/05, 2008, from http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/tol/tol.cfm#baekil
3. ^ Child's first brithday (tol). Retrieved 10/05, 2008, from http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/tol/tol.cfm#baekil
4. ^ Child's first brithday (tol). Retrieved 10/05, 2008, from http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/tol/tol.cfm#baekil
5. ^ Child's first brithday (tol). Retrieved 10/05, 2008, from http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/tol/tol.cfm#baekil
6. ^ Korean Embassy. (2000). Birthday celebrations. Retrieved 10/5, 2008, from http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/cel/birthday_celebrations.htm
7. ^ "Birthday Traditions from Around the World" . Retrieved 10/12, 2008, from <http://www.coolest-kid-birthday-parties.com/birthday-traditions.html>.
8. ^ "Chinese Zodiac." . Retrieved 10/12, 2008, from <http://www.peprimer.com/chinzo.html#SECTION1>.
9. ^ Korean Embassy. (2000). Birthday celebrations. Retrieved 10/5, 2008, from http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/cel/birthday_celebrations.htm

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