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Email UpdatesChristening Gowns and Korean Tradition
One of the advantages of selling our christening gowns online is the pleasure of seeing our beautiful baby clothes on babies all around the world. Christina Aaronson was kind enough to send us photos of her baby, Kaitlyn, celebrating her traditional Korean 1st birthday in California wearing one of our christening gowns. In Korea, the traditional Tol celebration is the celebration of a child’s first year. It’s a time when the family comes together to celebrate their child, pray, give thanks and share food with guests and neighbors.
A ritual associated without the Tol celebration is the Toljabee event. In Toljabee, the birthday child goes around a table and finds items that interest him or her. The child’s future is predicted according to what he or she grabs. The first and second items the child grabs are considered the most important. Some of the items out on the table for the children to grab are a large bundle of thread, a brush, a Korean calligraphy set, pencil, book, and money.
Christina says: “Just note, that Kaitlyn changed into the Traditional Korean Dress for the baby’s 1st Birthday game. This is where the baby crawls to a table topped with objects. $100 bill signifies wealth, String for longevity, stethoscope for a future in medicine, Bowl of rice for never go hungry, and a old traditional calligraphy brush to be a scholar. Kaitlyn chose the money first then the stethoscope.”
All activities focus around the child and guests are encouraged to bring gifts. Friends, family and colleagues attending the ceremony often present a gold ring to the parents which will later be used to help pay for their child’s education and other needs.
Many foods are prepared for guests including various types of “ddeok” (rice cakes) and all kinds of seasonal fruits. Some foods have a symbolic meaning. Susu-kyongdam in particular (rice cakes coated with red bean powder) is made to ward off evil spirits so that the child can grow without any disease (in traditional Korean culture, it’s believed that evil dislikes the color red). Bowls of rice and sea mustard soup round out the meal. It’s so interesting to learn about the type of traditions that people around the world practice to celebrate their children.
Thank you Christina for sharing your story and we hope you and Kaitlyn a healthy and prosperous future!
P.S. If any of our readers would like to share a story about a tradition that they practice with their family using christening gowns, please e-mail your story and pictures to ryan@babybeauandbelle.com
admin @ June 16, 2010
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