Happy Year of the Blue Dragon! The Korean Zodiac is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year being represented by an animal and its reputed attributes. It is based on the lunar calendar and this year’s New Year’s Day, or Seollal, falls on February 10, 2024. Seollal is a time of joy, family…
Doljanchi 돌잔치 is the beloved Korean first birthday celebration. Dol 돌 means 12 months have come around, and janchi 잔치 means banquet or feast, so doljanchi technically means birthday party. The term always refers to the first birthday party, but this event is also sometimes called “cheot” dol, 첫돌, or “first” birthday. Koreans celebrate a first birthday…
What is Baek Il? The first 100 days, or baek il, of a Korean child’s life used to be a very somber and anxious time as the infant mortality rates in Korea were once alarmingly high due to disease and malnutrition. It was also a time for the mother to recover from the trauma of…
While dol ostensibly is a festive party centered around the birthday child, it is larger than that…It is a tribute to the generations who came before me and survived enough birthdays of their own to bring this very moment into life. For Korean parents, there are few events in their child’s life that take on greater significance…
Many people don’t know why you have to eat miyeok-guk on your birthday in Korea but the answer is quite simple. Miyeok-guk, or Korean seaweed soup, is the traditional meal that Korean mothers eat multiple times per day after childbearing to help heal her body and produce milk to feed her new baby. Because of…
In western countries, women take a shower immediately after childbirth. They have a regular diet, start walking around, and go out in the cold weather. On the other hand, Korean women are advised not to take a shower for a week or more. They are not allowed to put their hands in cold water. For…
“What’s your sign?” is a question commonly asked in the Western world. But in East Asian nations like South Korea, you’re more likely to hear, “What’s your blood type?” That’s because for the past century, many Koreans have associated different blood types with specific personality characteristics that determine one’s likability, romantic compatibility, and even health…