Cultural Post #1

With the upcoming Lunar New Year, there are many Korean customs and traditions that I would love to talk about, but I specifically wanted to discuss the concept of sebae - 세배. Sebae is a tradition in which people wish their familial elders a happy new year, all whilst wearing hanbok and bowing in a procedural manner. Males and females have separate bowing procedures, and the phrase “새해 복 많이 받으세요”(May you receive many blessings for the new year) accompanies the bow. Occasionally, elders may provide some deokdam(덕담), or some remarks of blessings. Children often receive sabaetdon(세뱃돈), which is given in colorful envelopes or pouches and is generally given as a form of allowance/gift. If this sounds familiar, it's because it is - this tradition is commonly seen in Eastern Asia. Both China and Japan also have a similar tradition, where elders give children red envelopes containing money during the Lunar New Year. The reason behind this widespread presence is heavily accredited to Confucianism, and so the custom of giving sabaetdon probably originates from Chinese tradition. Besides just Lunar New Year traditions, Koreans ideals and customs are heavily reliant on Confucianism. The idea of bowing to elders and wishing them a happy new year stems from filial piety, which in Confucianism is the respectful and obedient attitude/mindset towards elders.

For me, I got all my sabaetdon money taken away by my parents, which I’m sure is a common occurrence for many of us. But receiving sabaetdon was still something to look forward to besides the other Lunar New Year activities, and sebae added a sense of formality to all the fun. 



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Comments

  • It is very interesting to learn about filial piety that is engraved so deeply in the culture. I think being respectful towards elders is very important in the Korean culture. Also not just elders as in your grandparents or parents but anyone that is older than you. In a highschool setting, underclassmen are expected to give respect to their upperclassmen as well. 

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