SDLAP 111 Cultural Post 4

One ceremony that foreigners could quickly learn about another culture is the elements to a wedding. In modern day, many Korean weddings have a mix of Western and Korean elements to allow the couple to connect with their Korean heritage and bring a modern aesthetic to the wedding. There are quite a few interesting things involving a traditional Korean wedding and the first aspect would be the type of clothing.

One iconic piece of clothing in Korean culture is the hanbok. The hanbok was worn daily in the past, but in modern times, the traditional clothing is reserved for special holidays or ceremonies. The hanbok is made out of silk and consists of many different garments depending on the style that the wearer is going for. For example, in a traditional Korean wedding, a bride could wear a basic hanbok consisting of a chima (a long skirt) and a wonsam (intricate long sleeved upper garment). On the other hand, the groom would wear a samogwandae that is similar to court attire in the chosun dynasty. In addition to these beautiful garments, the colors that the bride and groom wear can have significant meaning. The colors red and blue in Korean culture symbolize the confucius ideas of yin and yang, a balance between the two forces. Therefore, the hanbok colors that some couples may wear are red and blue to signal unity and balance in their relationship. The mother of the bride would wear warm, light tones such as pink or purple while the groom’s mother would wear cool tones such as blue or gray. 

One important traditional element in a Korean wedding is the paebaek. The paebaek is a traditional tea ceremony that is part of a Korean wedding itinerary. In the paebaek ceremony, the groom and bride wear the traditional hanbok and they are seated in front of both sets of parents. The couple conduct some bows to signal respect and give warm tea to the parents. Both the bride and the groom hold a piece of white cloth to symbolize unity and catch dates and chestnuts thrown to them from the parents. The dates and chestnuts supposedly represent the number of children the couple will have. The chestnuts represent daughters and dates represent sons. Additionally, there are quite a few foods placed on the table in front of the parents including beef jerky, little appetizers, and a tower of chestnuts and dates. Those three platters of food were found traditionally, but in modern day, the low table would be filled with food. One of the interesting things that the groom does towards the end of the ceremony is the groom piggy back the bride two times around the table. 

From this research, it gives me a sense that in modern weddings, some elements of a traditional Korean wedding may be left out or modified based on the resources available. This demonstrates that the traditional aspects such as wearing a hanbok and the paebaek ceremony is used to honor the bride and/or groom’s Korean heritage and to celebrate the couple’s now established unity and status. Therefore, not all the small details that were once in a traditional Korean ceremony must be applied, but instead, do as the couple wishes.

https://www.brides.com/traditional-korean-wedding-5087200

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of The SDLAP Ning to add comments!

Join The SDLAP Ning

Comments

  • Hello Anna this was a really nice explanation of modern Korean weddings. I wasn't familiar with the specifics of traditional Korean weddings and learned a lot through this post. I love your conclusion that it really is best left up to the couple even though modern isn't always better letting them choose makes whatever style they pick special. 

This reply was deleted.

Blog Topics by Tags

Monthly Archives