Hello lovely people, I am Disha from India and today I'm gonna tell you about how birthdays are celebrated in korea. We all love birthdays right? So, Have you ever wondered how koreans celebrate their birthdays. If you are a kdrama watcher, you may probably know about seaweed soup. But the question is why do they eat it and what else they do on their birthdays in reality. If you want to know then please continue reading :)
happy reading!
SEAWEED SOUP ( 미역국 )
Koreans also cut a cake, blow candles and goes out for a party just like us. But then what's the difference? Well, there is a tradition that they are following from many years which is eating seaweed soup on their birthdays. So It is because when the pregnant woman deleiver their babies the first thing that the mother eats after the delivery is seaweed soup because it is good for the womb and labor pain. After giving birth a woman's body is in lot of pain and seaweed soup acts as a painkiller. So koreans eat this to respect and remember the pain their mothers went through.
Koreans do parties on their birthdays where the alcohol is a must thing. They usually drink soju
(소주 ) as it is loved by mostly koreans. Soju is even cheaper than the price of water. Food is also a main part of the party. having food with alcohol helps them not to get drunk too soon. Japchae (잡채) is a dish that is widely enjoyed on birthdays. They also play a lot of games with their friends.
BIRTHDAY DRINK (생일주)
But the worst part of the party is Birthday drink. Younger generations enjoy giving it to their friends on their birthday. It is a disgusting mixture od food and liquor in a huge portion which can contain anything .Some people (highly drunk) even adds hair to the drink which is actually so disgusting right? tell me in the comments what are your views about this.
Next is the birthday beating. I think it is enjoyed by many countries including mine. Is it also common in your country? Korea also enjoys this and it is called 생일빵. You load up with lots of love for birthday person and starts beating them. You hit them just as much as their age.
MYTH OF GIFTING SHOES
Actually I thought I should also tell you about this to save your loved one from running away ;)
You might be wondering what I'm talking about. Actually there is a myth beleived by many koreans which is If you gift someone a pair of shoes on their birthday, they might waer it and run away. People also came up with a solution for this which is when you gift shoes to that person then he/she should give you a cent or some amount of money (amount doesn't matter here as it is just to break the myth and obviously it's a gift so, a cent will work) which will mean that the birthday person is buying that and it's not a gift.
In korea1st,60th,70th,80th or 100 day birthdays are very special.
100 day birthday ( 백일 )
The celebration is held 100 days after the birth of the child. In korean culture 100 holds a special significance. The parents holds a small party with rice cakes and seaweed soup and it is believed that if you share 100 rice cakes then your baby will have a long life. The reason why people started celebrating this is because in the past infant mortality rate was high so, lot of babies died without exceeding 100 days.
1st Birthday ( 돌)
It is a feast to celebrate a year after baby is born. There is a theory that it was started to pray for the stable survival of the child. An event is holded on this occasion called . It is an event where various things are put in front of the child like rice, money, thread, microphone, stethoscope etc. and the baby is expected to pick one which will be related to baby's future. for example -
money - will make a lot of money in the future
thread - live a long life
stethoscope - become a doctor
60th birthday ( 환갑 )
living to the age of 60 was considered to be a huge milestone in the past. The birthday girl or boy celebrates it with family or takes a trip.
70th ( 칠순 ) and 80th Birthday (팔순)
On these special birthdays Koreans have large, lavish birthday celebrations in banquet halls. as with these celebration people wear hanbok. Ceremonial foods like rice cakes, chicken, beef are served along with the cake.
Now let's move on to learning some birthday related korean:)
First of all,
Birthday - 생일
- 생신 (formal)
Cake - 케이크
Birthday party - 새일파티
Candle - 양초
Invitation - 초대
Balloon - 풍선
Gift - 선물
Birthday card - 생일카드
PHRASES-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
- 생일 축하합니다 (Formal)
- 생일 축하해 (Informal)
- 생일 축하해요 (Formal)
While texting young generation use
- 생축 or 생일 축하해
When is your birthday?
- 새일이 언제예요?
And lastly comes the birthday song :)
생일 축하합니다
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU~
생일 축하합니다
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU~
사랑하는 ( Name ) 씨
DEAR (NAME)
생일 축하합니다
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
I hope you all loved the lesson. if you found this helpful and informative then don't to leave a like:). Also tell me what are your views about the korean birthday traditions. That's it for today. See you later lovely people >_<
