Korean birthday celebrations
When a person reaches an important age in his or her life, Koreans have unique celebrations to mark these milestones.
Today this part of the celebrations is usually skipped, because Muism (the religion that worshiped the Korean gods) is rarely practiced.
[2] Before the main part of the celebration, the baby is dressed in very colorful, ornate clothing called dol-bok.
A boy would traditionally wear a pink or striped jeogori (jacket) with purple or gray baji (pants), a striped durumagi (long jacket), a blue vest printed with a gold or silver pattern or a striped magoja (jacket), a jeonbok (long blue vest) with a gold or silver pattern, a bokgeon (black hat with long tail), and tarae-beoseon (traditional socks).
A girl would wear a striped jeogori, a long red chima (skirt), a gold-and-silver printed jobawi (hat) and tarae-beoseon.
In addition to their dol-bok, boys and girls would wear a long dol-tti (belt that wraps around the body twice) for longevity and a dol-jumeoni (pouch) for luck.
A large table is prepared with over a dozen different types of rice cakes or tteok (the main food).
Food is not the only thing on the table, however; there is also a large spool of thread, a brush, a Korean calligraphy set, a pencil, a book, money (10,000-won bills) and a bow and arrow (or a needle, ruler and pair of scissors for girls).
They make her offerings of rice and soup for having cared for the infant and the mother, and for having helped them live through a difficult period.
In order to protect the child, red bean rice cakes are placed at the four compass points of the house.
While these rituals are being carried out, traditional music is played and professional entertainers sing songs, encouraging people to drink.
In order to make the recipient of the hwangap feel young, adults and teens dress in children's clothing.
When a boy turned into an adult he would tie his hair into a top knot and be given a gat (traditional cylindrical Korean hat made of horsehair).
A girl would become an adult when she married and showed her non-single status by rolling her braided hair into a chignon bun and fixing it with a binyeo, a long ornamental hairpin.
