For my fourth cultural post, I decided to investigate the culture of the Hanbok in Korea. The Hanbok is one of the most popular and renown outfit in Korean culture. Hanboks are often wore for special occasions and holidays. Hanboks have been worn late in South Korea’s historical past. The Hanbok is made of three main parts: jeogori, baji, and chima. The jeogori is the jacket, the baji is the pants, and the chima is the dress/skirt that goes over the pants. Hanbok can be categorized based on gender, age, and season. The Hanbok is centered around Confucian styles, with delicate lines and angles. The Hanbok is also known for its many vivid colors. Traditional Hanboks base the theme of their colors with the five elements of life: White (metal), red (fire), blue (wood), black (water), yellow (earth). Furthermore, different colors mean different social status and position. For example, brighter colors on a Hanbok are usually worn by children and girls while muted colors and accents are worn by older people. Additionally, one’s social position can be identified by the quality of their Hanbok. Furthermore, patterns represent the wearer’s desires and wishes in life. Lotus flowers represent nobility and hope. Hanbok is one of Korea’s most popular cultural traditions and remains to be a significant part of Korean history. Hanbok designs and patterns continue to change and improve, as well as the quality and patterns. Hanboks used to be worn on an everyday basis in the past, but now is worn only on special occasions such as weddings and birthdays.
In my experience, I wore a Hanbok when I was really young. I don’t remember wearing one, but since I was born in Korea, I was given a traditional Korean birthday party. There are pictures of me wearing a Hanbok with bright colors. Hanboks are also very popular during Lunar New Year. A lot of Korea’s culture is based on respect towards the elders. A popular tradition in Korea is to bow and thank our parents and grandparents during New Years. This significant gesture is called “jul”. It is tradition for the younger children to bow in front of the elders to wish them a happy new year and wish them good health. In return, the elders give the children money and toys. I remember doing this when I was young, even up until elementary school. But since I have lived longer in the United States, many of our Korean traditions have disappeared, especially since our grandparents and extended family still live in Korea. Learning about Hanbok Korean culture has been fun to learn about. I knew what they were, but never really understood the tradition and meaning behind it. I think it is important to understand my Korean culture and understand the meaning behind one of the most popular traditions. Overall, I was really impressed with the different amounts of meaning a Hanbok and how important a type of clothing could mean to a culture like Korea. I am curious to see how it differs with other countries and if other countries have similar gowns that is traditional and cultural like the Hanbok.
Comments
I've noticed that Asian cultures are really big on traditional wear. I didn't realized that the colors and designs for the Hanbok has cultural significance. I wonder if it is the same for other Asian cultures as well.
Thanks for a great post! I think one thing people do not realize about hanboks is that they are very expensive. Sometimes, they can range from $200 all the way to over $1000 per piece. Although they aren't worn as much in Korea's society anymore, people can still see these beautiful patterns and designs on some of the imperial Korean dramas like "Kingdom."
This was really interesting to read about! I also wore hanbok when I was younger, but I didn't realize that the design and colors of hanbok had cultural significance. I recently tried on hanbok when I traveled to Korea about 2 years ago and although I don't think it's very practical for everyday wear, I can see the importance of preserving the tradition.
Hey Jiwon! This is a really cool post. I also remember wearing a hanbok when I was a baby. I always thought it was a beautiful piece of clothing, but I did not know there was a cultural significance behind it. I did not know that the colors represented the five elements of life. I just thought that was an interesting thing.