One of the cutest celebrations in Korea is Doljanchi or a baby's first birthday! They are dressed in hanbok and a traditional Korean hat as they are presented with food and gifts. This celebration is very important because it determines the future and prosperity of the baby's life. The most significant tradition is Doljabi where the baby is sat in front of several items such as a rope, money, food, a brush etc. Whichever item the baby picks up first determines their future. For example, the money represents wealth, the food promises no hunger, the brush predicts a scholar, the rope represents a long life and so on. Nowadays, some parents choose items to predict what occupation they will hold later on in life such as a stethoscope for a doctor, a gavel for a judge, microphone for a singer etc. It was interesting talking about this in our session because one of my classmates, Sharon, who grew up in a Korean family had Doljanchi to celebrate her turning 1! She told us that she chose the money, so we joked about her predicted financial success.
The family prepares the 'Dol' table piled high with rainbow colored rice cakes and seaweed soup to represent the prosperous life ahead of the child. Seaweed soup is very significant as it is believed helpful to pregnant women. Every birthday after the 1st, the child will eat it to honor the mother and thank her for giving birth to them.
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