Dol 돌

Before I begin, let me just say that when I share things about Korean culture, I am hardly an expert. I am learning just like most of you. So I apologize ahead of time if I make mistakes (Dr. Hong feel free to correct me)! But I think this is one of the fun parts about international adoption. We not only get to adopt a cute little boy, but a culture and a new language that is very different from our own.

So, Sam's 1st birthday is this Friday. In Korea the 1st birthday is a big deal. Koreans throw a big party. I'm told some parties can have hundreds of guests! The reason the first birthday (or "dol" as Koreans call it) is so important is because infant mortality was a real problem until recent times. So getting to your 1st birthday was reason to celebrate.

I'm learning that Koreans really like food and this celebration involves a lot of it. Towers of oranges, apples, dduk (korean rice cake), and other food is prepared to symbolize prosperity for the young child.

During the celebration the child wears a ceremonial garment called a "Hanbok". Meet Abe. He is one of our friend's nephews who just had his 1st birthday recently. He can sport the Hanbok like nobody's business!

The highlight of the dol is a ritual in which the child is placed in front of a number of objects. They are encouraged by the parents to choose one object which will determine the child's future. Traditionally, objects include a long spool of string (long life), pencil (education), money (wealth), or sword (soldier). Families typically will come up with their own ideas that are meaningful to them like a cross for ministry, or a toothbrush for becoming a dentist, or a football to become a star quarterback! I think I would include a toy horn for music!

Abe chose a pencil if you are wondering. Then I guess he got hungry for an apple. Maybe that means he'll be smart enough to invent the next apple computer?

I wonder how Sam's foster family will be celebrating? Will he have his own dol? Will he pick out a pencil or maybe a baseball? We're told that Holt encourages their foster families to take lots of pictures while they grow up, so hopefully some day we'll have images of Sam in his hanbok. Or maybe we'll just throw our own dol when he comes home. This is one of the hardest things about the adoption process - the waiting, the wondering...

If you are interested in learning more about the dol celebration here are some websites you can check out:

http://www.korean1stbirthday.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doljanchi

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/tol/tol.cfm