I would like to talk about the Korean-style birthday celebrations in this blog post. First of all, happy birthday to all having birthdays today. The Koreans do have some special food to eat on their birthdays and there are several important birthdays on which bigger celebration parties are held. Continue reading
doljanchi
Korean gift-giving customs – Cash as gift
In other countries, cash may be regarded as an impersonal gift and the giver may be considered as lacking sincerity in giving gifts. However, as you may already notice, Koreans in fact prefer gifts which are practical and so cash is an acceptable gift for a lot of occasions. Continue reading
Korean gift-giving customs – Baby’s first birthday gifts
To the Koreans, a baby’s first birthday is an important event to celebrate and the parents hold a first birthday’s celebration party (돌잔치 – Doljanchi) inviting family members and friends to attend. The reason for Doljanchi is that in the past when the people were poor and the medical technology was not so advanced, the infant mortality rate was high. Therefore, having a baby surviving his/her first birthday became an event worth celebrating. Even nowadays when the infant mortality rate has dropped significantly, this Doljanchi tradition still continues.
What do Koreans bring as gifts to Doljanchi? Continue reading
Korean Culture Blog 