While I plan to center my culture project around Korean weddings, I thought it would be a good idea to begin my research on the matter by looking into traditional Korean weddings. The following is what I was able to find from reading Juno Kim’s “The Complete Guide to Korean Traditional Wedding Ceremony”.
Traditional Korean weddings are inspired by Confucian foundations, as are many aspects of South Korean social hierarchies. Traditional Korean weddings are composed of various parts, all of which contain customs that carry symbolic significance. For instance, after a pre-ceremonial performance is completed and after having entered the bride’s family’s home, the groom would present the mother-in-law with a wild goose: this gift symbolizes the love between the soon-to-be husband and wife because this particular bird finds only one partner as its mate for life. Later in the processions, the bride and groom bow to each other: this act represents their commitment to one another. Then, the newlyweds drink from a gourd dipper, which is in halves to symbolize the oneness of the husband and wife when together. Furthermore, a wedding custom that follows after the marrying of the two is Pyebaek, which is when the newlyweds bow to the family (to show respect), the family presents them with fruits (to symbolize children), and the parents offer advice to the newlyweds on their new marriage. Pyebaek continues to be a tradition held in present-day Korean weddings except that the bride’s family is also allowed to take part in this custom whereas previously, it would only be for the groom’s family.
This brief research into traditional Korean weddings has made me very interested and excited to look into the matter in greater depth (for the cultural project) and to see how those traditions may resonate in present-day Korean weddings.
Bibliography
Kim, Juno. “The Complete Guide to Korean Traditional Wedding Ceremony.” Runaway Juno, 13 Apr. 2015, http://runawayjuno.com/runaway-tales/the-complete-guide-to-korean-traditional-wedding-ceremony/.
Comments
This is a really interesting post. Everytime I learn about marriage rituals in another culture it seem so much more meaningful and extravagant than of my own culture! I thought this was a really cool look into Korean culture and it's really poetic/symbolic. I especially like the giving the mother in low a wild goose tradition!