DOLJABI:
Koreans follow an array of birthday traditions ranging from Baegil (a celebration that marks the 100th day anniversary of kids) or Hwangap (60th birthday), Chilsun and Palsun (70th and 80th Birthday). Korean traditions hit the ground mark right from the moment they turn One.
DOLJABI also known as DOLJANCHI is a custom that takes place when a child turns one, the entire village would set up a massive celebration for the toddler’s birthday. A Doljabi emulates a fortune-telling event where the kid is placed in front of various Doljabi things to look at and to select.
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An ensemble of gifts extending from a pen/pencil, a bow, medallion, set of coins, fortune pouch, brush, yarn, 5 color paper, medicine pot, rice ball, and notebook. Doljabi includes a diverse set that may be found in the daily items at your house or things you can recognize at a mercantile establishment.
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If the kid chooses the pen, it indicates in the nursing indicator of wealth and prosperity. A yarn represents a long life and a long life is still valued. Food items meant that the baby would never be hungry, while the thread symbolized long life.
A pencil or alternative writing implement may indicate a profound or inventive life. If he picked up the money, then he would be rich. While other parents prefer modern Doljabi, they prepare items that represent careers like; microphone for an entertainer, gavel for a judge, stethoscope or a medicine pot for a doctor, ball for an athlete, and computer mouse for tech professionals.
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Though it's alleged to pave the child’s destiny, it extremely comes right down to simply a fun event wherever you actually can’t fail by selecting any of the given objects. These are part of Korean traditions. Furthermore, yarn, sets of coins, rice balls, and fortune pouches do not predict a future career, just blessings.
HISTORY OF DOLJABI/DOLJANCHI:
Prior to emerging as a country with cutting-edge familiar healthcare and medical management, toddlers frequently succumbed to disorders and starvation. By the 1800s, every second baby in South Korea passed away, and during the 1950s the toddler mortality rate increased by an alarming 26%.
Therefore, the final touch of a toddler’s first year became a prime milestone to be celebrated even among the maximum humble households. By throwing a large party, the families lauded and prayed for the child's proper fitness and longevity.
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Koreans would have a big celebration inviting all the people in their community to celebrate. Therefore, Doljanchi has been registered as the day in a toddlers life to have fun and to hope for a lengthy life. When imposing Doljanchi, the ancestors entrust Doljabi to predict which destiny the toddlers might take up in the future.
Also, there's a controversy that Doljanchi is held as a technique to announce that an infant has turned out to be a member of society via means of revealing the infant to an arrangement of fascinating items to pick out at a juvenile age.
DOLJANCHI DISHES
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The dominant dish of the Doljanchi is the rice cake. Rice is a principal ingredient in a lot of dishes in South Korea. They may be fried, steamed, pounded and shaped. Rice is a staple meal in South Korea and a majority of Koreans devour rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Since rice is so important here, it's frequently included in celebrations.
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For the party, dad and mom put together a special `Dol' desk, wherein the meals are stacked excessively to indicate a lifestyle of prosperity for the baby. The desk is laid out with a rice cake of rainbow layers, seaweed soup, and fruits. Miyeok guk (seaweed soup) is served on each birthday after the primary birthday to remind human beings of what their mom went through to deliver them into the world.
GIFTS GIVEN TO A BABY ON THEIR FIRST BIRTHDAY :
For Koreans, gold signifies good health and prosperity. Gold is the most common gift given to babies on their first birthday to symbolize a new beginning and honor the child. Parents usually put a ring on their baby's finger.
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Moreover, if necessary, gold rings can later be sold and turned into cash to pay for the child’s education. However, since the price of gold is skyrocketing in recent years, instead of gold rings, Koreans give other items such as baby clothing and cash as gifts for Doljanchi.
Here is the short video of baby celebrating his/her first birthday:
What do you think about this cute and unique Korean ceremony?
