Present tense in South Korea. Traditional calendars and chronology systems in Korea
Traditional calendars and time systems in Korea
Ancient Koreans attached paramount importance to the observation of heavenly bodies. Ancient Koreans attached paramount importance to the observation of heavenly bodies. In ancient times, the population of the Korean Peninsula drew attention to the fact that the movement of the Sun in the sky determines the repetition of the same seasons at the same time and, consequently, the rhythm of plant growth, human and animal life. In the states of Koguryeo, Baekche and Silla, there were institutions in charge of observing the heavenly bodies and compiling calendars. In Goguryeo, such an institution was called Plcha, in Baekje - Ilkwangbu. Astronomers - "cheongmun paksa" Chon Chin Suk, Chon Song Chol, Kim Chang Won did a lot of work on compiling calendars and astronomical maps that had long existed in Goguryeo.
The calendars of the states of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla fixed the days that coincided with the most important phases of the moon and the stages of solar activity. Images of celestial bodies, which were also given magical significance, are widely represented in the frescoes of the tombs of the Goguryeo era, dating from the 4th-7th centuries. n. h. The sun, the moon, the constellation Ursa Major were placed by ancient artists on the ceiling vaults of the tombs, symbolizing the celestial sphere.
According to the Chinese dynastic chronicle "Bei Shi", in the state of Paekche, the year was divided into four seasons. Moreover, in the middle moon, or in the middle of every three months of a particular season, sacrifices were arranged: “The Sovereign in the four middle moons makes sacrifices to the sky and the Spirits of five Di (Five Di - five ancient Chinese rulers or five rulers of the countries of the world).
The ancient Koreans knew both the solar and lunar calendars. The year consisted of 12 months, each of them had its own serial number. Since the calendar was closely associated with agricultural activities, the months of completion of sowing work (fifth) and harvesting (tenth) were highlighted. It was during these months that mass festivities took place, sacrifices to Heaven, good and evil spirits, and ancestors. The sixagesimal cycle of counting days and years was widely used in ancient Korea. As a method of marking dates, it is found on many epigraphic monuments, and later it is widely used in historical writings, in fiction and in everyday life.
In the traditional Korean calendar, borrowed from China, years are denoted by ten “heavenly stems”: “cheongan-gap”, “eul”, “byeong”, “son”, “mu”, “Ki”, “kyong”, “sin” , "im", "ke" and twelve earthly branches - "chiji".
Cyclic sign
Animal
Sign
Zodiac
European calendar year
[cha]
[chwi]
Mouse
Aries
1996
[chook]
[co]
Bull
Taurus
1997
[in]
[pom]
Tiger
Twins
1998
[myo]
[thokki]
Hare
Crayfish
1999
[chin]
[yeon]
The Dragon
a lion
2000
[sa]
[pam]
Snake
Virgo
2001
[about]
[mal]
Horse
Scales
2002
[mi]
[yan]
Sheep
Scorpion
2003
[syn]
[wonsunji]
A monkey
Sagittarius
2004
[Yu]
[So]
Chicken
Capricorn
2005
[sul]
[ke]
Dog
Aquarius
2006
[he]
[tweji]
Pig
Fish
2007
At the same time, “earthly branches” are associated with twelve animals, and “heavenly stems” with five elements. Their sequence forms a time cycle lasting sixty years.
Linking the signs of the decimal cycle with the concept of "five elements", or "five elements" has become a Korean tradition and is called "the generation of 5 elements": wood gives birth to fire, fire gives birth to earth, earth gives birth to metal, metal gives birth to water, water gives birth to wood. This cycle repeats continuously, as well as another cycle - the destruction of 5 elements (overcoming): water conquers fire, fire conquers metal, metal conquers wood, wood conquers earth, earth conquers water. Koreans break 10 "heavenly stems" in pairs, compared them with five elements: wood - "mok", fire - "hwa", earth - "tho", metal - "kym", water - "su".
The days of the week also contain the theory of the cycle of everything in the world. Darkness (Moon) follows the Sun, followed by Fire again, fire is defeated by Water, and Water, in turn, gives life to the Tree (Plants), which are cut by Iron, which, again, is extracted (originates) from the Earth. Monday - "Woreoil" - the day of the Moon, Tuesday - "Hwayeil" - the day of the element of fire, Wednesday - "Suyeil" - the day of the element of water, Thursday - "Mogyeil" - the day of the element of wood, Friday - "Geumyeil" - the day of the element of iron, Saturday - "thoeil" - the day of the elements of the earth, Sunday - "ireil" - the day of the sun. It follows that the celestial trunks of Cheongan correspond to the "five elements" - "ohen".
Kap, eul - correspond to the elements "tree"
Pyong, son - correspond to the elements "fire"
Mu, ki - correspond to the elements "earth"
Kyong, blue - correspond to the elements "metal"
Im, ke - correspond to the elements "water"
All cyclic signs of the decimal and duodecimal cycles correspond to certain cardinal points - "panvi". In the West, the four cardinal directions are named in the following order: North, South, East, West, in East Asia the following order is East, West, South, North. The five primary elements have a number of correspondences in the macrocosm and microcosm:
Kap, yl - correspond to ton - east
Kyon, blue - correspond to the west
Pyon, chong - correspond to us - south
Im, ke - correspond to fart - north
Mu, ki - correspond to chun - center
Ohen - 5 elements correlate with panvi - cardinal points:
Ton - East - corresponds to mok - the element of wood;
So - West - corresponds to kym - the element of iron;
Us - South - corresponds to hwa - the element of fire;
Puk - North - corresponds to su - the element of water;
Chun - Center - corresponds to tho - the element of earth.
There are Ym and Yang - the main elements, the combination of which gave rise to the universe: Ym - sky, light, odd masculine. Its symbol is the Dragon; Yang - earth, darkness, feminine, even. Its symbol is the Tiger.
Ym, Yang - are personified in the sky - by the moon and the sun, on earth - by water and fire, among people - by a woman and a man, in the human body - by the kidneys and heart.
The Korean color scheme reflects the philosophical concepts of ym, yang, salt - a dark beginning, a bright beginning and five elements (iron, wood, water, fire and earth). The Korean color scheme symbolizes - yellow - the element of earth, red - the element of fire, white - the element of metal , black - the element of water, blue - the element of wood. Wood is associated with spring, fire with summer, water with winter, earth with the end of summer. Each part of the world corresponds to a certain color: East - blue, West - white, South - red, Center - yellow.
The firmament is divided in a circle into parts, each with seven constellations: Dragon - East (left), Tiger - West (right), red bird - South (up - down), black warrior - North (back and forth). In traditional Korean literature, the signs of the decimal cycle were compared not only with the five elements, but also with the five planets. Combinations of signs of the decimal and duodecimal cycles are built according to a certain rule: the first sign of the decimal cycle is combined with the first sign of the duodecimal, the second - with the second, the third - with the third, and so on up to the tenth. Then the first character of the decimal cycle is connected with the eleventh character of the duodecimal cycle; the second sign of the decimal cycle - with the twelfth sign of the duodecimal cycle; the third character of the decimal cycle is combined with the first character of the duodecimal cycle, and so on.
In total, 60 dissimilar combinations are obtained, which make up one sexagesimal cycle. In chronology, each combination corresponds to one year of the sixty-year "age". That is, the designation of the years of each sixty-year cycle occurs by combining two hieroglyphs, the first of which refers to a series of ten cyclic signs, and the second to a series of twelve signs of the zodiac. Each of the years has its own name, formed from the names of two cyclic signs, the combination of which it is designated. The first year of each cycle is called “captcha”, the middle year is called “kabo”, and the last year is called “kehe”.
The sixty-year cycle we are now living in began in 1984. The year 2006 is named "byeongsul". His element is wood, animal is monkey, color is green (blue). This is how the names of combinations of signs of the sexagesimal cycle look like.
In the system of chronology of the ancient Korean peoples, an important place was occupied by the count of years according to the time of the reign of sovereigns. Traditionally, in addition to the sixty-year cycle, Korea officially used a system of chronology borrowed from China according to the so-called mottos of the reign of emperors. At the beginning of his reign, each emperor adopted a certain motto, expressing a good wish. During one reign, the motto could be changed. In 1897, Korea, previously a formal vassal of China, was proclaimed the independent empire of Taehan. The first Korean emperor, Gojong, adopted his own reign motto. However, the Korean Empire did not last long. Already in 1910, Korea became a colony of Japan. In Japan, calculus by mottos was introduced in the middle of the 7th century. Since the Japanese monarchs considered themselves equal to the Chinese emperors, they used their own mottos. From 1910 until its liberation in 1945, Korea lived according to the Japanese calendar.
At present, chronology by mottos is not used. The chronology by the years of the reign of the Korean kings is also not used (although in the historical literature it is usually given along with the indication of the year according to the Christian era). Some time after the declaration of independence in the Republic of Korea, they used the so-called “Dangun era” (“Tangi”), the beginning of which was taken as the legendary year of the founding of the first Korean state by the divine ruler Tangun, Ancient Joseon (2333 BC). EruTanguna is still used by followers of the nationalist Daejongyo sect, but since the 60s of the last century it has not been official.
Buddhists in Korea also use the traditional Buddhist era, "Bulgi". The officially adopted in the Republic of Korea is the Christian system of chronology from the birth of Christ. The year 2006 of the Christian era is 4339 of the Tangun era or 3033 of the Buddhist era.
In modern Korea, there are several hundred so-called "new religions" - teachings that arose in the second half of the 19th - 20th centuries. Each of these religions has its own chronology associated with one or another stage of its founder's activity (as a rule, years are counted either from his birth or from the direct foundation of a religious community). These types of chronology do not have a national status and are used only within the framework of a particular religion.
Traditional holidays for lunar calendar
Traditionally in Korea, as in an eastern country, the lunar calendar is used. It is based on the rotation cycles of the Moon around the Earth. There are 12 months in the lunar calendar. The beginning of the month corresponds to the new moon. Therefore, each month has a serial number and its name (“first moon”, “second moon”, “third moon”, “tenth moon”, etc.). The lunar month is approximately 29 days. The lunar calendar has 354 days at the opposite end of the solar calendar which has 365 days. In Korea, this difference of 11 days is compensated - every 33 months there is a leap month - "yundal", consisting of 30 days. Such a month is considered an auspicious period and weddings and other festive events should be timed to this time. Related to the lunar calendar is the seasonal agricultural calendar, which is still widely used in Korea today. The seasonal agricultural calendar has 24 periods - “cholgi”.
The year is divided into four seasons - spring, summer, autumn, winter, each of which is divided into six more periods, approximately 15 days each. The seasonal calendar is closely related to the agricultural activities of Korean peasants. Each period has its own name.
National and public holidays
December 30 - 31 - New Year's Eve - Sottal kymim. On this holiday, it is nice to leave all the doors open at night. Bibimbap is being prepared for the holiday - steamed rice with beef and vegetables, Injolmi - bread with beans and rice and traditional sweets - biscuits - Hangwa
New Year according to the lunar calendar - Sollal. It is also a day of showing respect to ancestors and elders in the family. It is customary to wear the best clothes on this holiday. The whole family gets together. Accept to exchange gifts. This day is covered festive table and the younger members of the family perform a special ceremony of bowing - "sebe", greeting and congratulating, thus, the elders. On this day they eat soup - "Tteokguk" and sweet cookies - "Yagva".
Day of the first full moon 15th day of the first lunar month - Teborimnal. On this day, fireworks are arranged, bonfires are lit - “taljip tags”, which should scare away evil spirits, harmful insects and animals. The talisman is also burned - "enmagi teugi", in which evil spirits. In the late afternoon, they organize festivities with traditional games, which include tug of war, comic fights. On this holiday, they eat "Ogokpap" - boiled rice with the addition of 5 grains, eat different varieties of nuts and drink wine.
The third day of the third month is Samjinnal. On this day, it is customary to guess about the future, eat pancakes "Tungyeong hwajeon" and drink them with azalea wine - "Tugyeongju".
Day of visiting the graves of ancestors - Khansik. (105 days after the winter solstice). On this day, it is customary to eat only cold food - wormwood cakes - "Sukttok", dumplings with wormwood - "Ssuk tanja", wormwood soup - "Ssuktan".
Spring celebration (5th day of the fifth month) - Tano. On this day, it is customary to perform memorial rites in honor of the ancestors, and then they have a lot of fun. Women have fun on swings suspended from long ropes on trees, and men arrange wrestling matches. It is customary to eat rice cakes with plants - "Surichhittok" and herring soup - "Chunchiguk". All this can be washed down with various alcoholic beverages.
Day of worship of water - the 15th day of the 6th month - Yudu. On this day, the ritual of worshiping water and washing hair in water is performed to wash away bad luck.
The seventh day of the seventh month is Chilsok. On this day, it is pleasant for lovers to go to chomdzheni - fortunetellers and ask them about their future. On this day, a ritual is performed to send down rain.
Buddha Day 15th day of the 7th month - Baekchun. On this day, the ritual of worshiping the Buddha is performed.
Three ten-day periods between the hottest days of summer - Sambok.
They mark the beginning, middle and end of the hottest period according to the lunar calendar. Chobok is the beginning of the period, Junbok is the middle, Malbok is the end. During this period, it is pleasant to eat hot meat dishes that enhance digestion.
Celebration of the beginning of the agricultural season - Junghwajeol,
Autumn Celebration (9th day of the 9th lunar month) - Chunyangjeol,
Day winter solstice(at the beginning of the 20th of December of the solar calendar) - Tonji.
Official public holidays.
January 1-2 - Sinjong. New Year according to the solar calendar. (With last day December to the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar).
New Year according to the lunar calendar - Sollal. Usually celebrated in early February - 3 non-working days in a row
April 5 - Tree planting day - Sinmogil. The holiday was established in connection with the Park Chung Hee government's campaign to restore Korean forests.
May 5 - Children's Day - Orininal. On this day, parents dress up their children in the best clothes and take them for a walk in parks, various attractions, and zoos.
Buddha's birthday - Bucheonim osinnal (Sokka thangsinil) is celebrated on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month). On this day, festive processions of believers with lanterns in the form of a lotus take place. Solemn ceremonies are held in the main Buddhist temples.
June 6 - Day of Remembrance of the Dead - Hyeonchun-il. Memorial Day is held in Korea in honor of the soldiers and civilians who died during the war and gave their lives for the country.
July 17 - Constitution Day - Cheongjol. The day the constitution of the Republic of Korea was proclaimed on July 17, 1948.
August 15 - Liberation Day - Gwangbokchul. It is celebrated on the day Korea was liberated from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule in 1945.
15th day of the eighth lunar month - Chuseok. Usually celebrated at the end of September. 3 non-working days in a row
October 3 - Day of foundation of the state - Kaechondzhol. Feast of the founding of the state in 2333 BC.
These are not official non-working days, but some private firms may not work.
Musical and theater culture
The country hosts a variety of symphony concerts, opera performances and performances by local and visiting musicians. Almost all types of popular music are included in the repertoire of Korean artists, who offer their own interpretations as they master foreign styles and genres.
Korea's rich musical tradition is quite distinctive despite its strong Chinese influence. The Korean "thanak" literally translates as "music from China during the Tang Dynasty", and in turn the Japanese "komagaku" means "music from the kingdom of Korea in Korea".
Korean music is conditionally divided into the following categories: "chonak" - music for the upper strata of society; "sogak" - folk music, folk songs; peasant music - "nonak", song and drama genre - "pansori" and solo instrumental music - "sanjo".
In Korea, there are up to 60 types of musical instruments, but only 40-45 of them still sound today.
In Korea, the following types of dance are traditionally common: ritual, shamanic, Buddhist and Confucian, court, rural folk dance and dance performance in masks.
General distinctive features Korean dance consists in the fact that the dancer, while balancing on one leg, holds the other extended, while the shoulders slightly rise and fall. This performance has a deep inner strength. The dancer's body, hidden under voluminous silk clothing with obligatory long sleeves. The latest and most exciting trends in contemporary Korean dance combine new stylistic means with traditional dance movements, combining innovation and originality.
Theatrical art goes back to primitive religious rites, and is often accompanied by dancing to musical accompaniment. There are special forms of theatrical folk spectacles, such as puppet theater, acrobatic clownery - "ogwande" and "pelsingut" (reminiscent of shamanic rites), as well as ponsan masked dances.
Almost all types of popular music are included in the repertoire of Korean artists, who offer their own interpretations as they master foreign styles and genres.
North Korea, or to use its full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a dictatorship and hereditary power. It is so isolated and closed that it is as difficult to get into it as it is to leave afterwards. Such isolation is of frank interest not only among travel enthusiasts, but also among the whole world as a whole. We present the most curious facts hiding beyond the borders of this state.
104 years in North Korea
The North Korean chronology, according to the Juche calendar, begins with the birth of Kim Il Sung. Therefore, now there is not 2015, but only 104.
The largest stadium in the world
The largest sports arena, the First May Stadium, was built in this country. It can accommodate up to 150 thousand people.
legal marijuana
Marijuana is not considered a drug here, so it is completely legal.
Tallest Ryugyong Hotel
For about 20 years, the 105-story Ryugyong, whose height is 330 meters, was considered the highest in the world. The construction, which began in 1987, has not yet been completed.
The population of the DPRK, depending on "loyalty to the regime", is divided into 51 "social categories"
In the country, only members of the government and the military have the right to own a car.
Residents of the country use their own operating system Red Star OS
It is the only country to own a once-captured US warship.
Over 23,000 people have fled from North Korea to South over 60 years, while only two have fled from South to North.
In 2009, the country officially changed its state policy from communism to Juche.
You can't wear jeans in North Korea, it's illegal
North Koreans are not allowed to wear hairstyles that do not meet the list approved by the state
There are 28 allowed hairstyles in total.
The country built a propaganda village to lure the population of North Korea
In the 1950s, a village was built near the borders with South Korea, whose splendor, which in fact was only a prop, was supposed to lure the people of South Korea.
Kim Il Sung, who founded the DPRK, was born on April 15, 1912. It was on this day that the infamous Titanic sank.
Archaeologists in North Korea have found the skeleton of a unicorn, which was ridden by Tongmung, the founder of the Goguryeo dynasty and country.
This was the announcement made in 2012. According to North Korean archaeologists, King Tongmung rode this unicorn about two thousand years ago.
Six American soldiers who defected to North Korea in 1962 still live in that country
In North Korea, those who keep a Bible, watch South Korean films, or are involved in the distribution of pornographic videos are sentenced to death
Despite the fact that elections are held in the country every 5 years, there is always only one candidate on the ballots.
The North government sends its threats to South Korea by fax
In 2014, the population of the DPRK watched the World Cup with a delay of a day
At the end of the 18th century, when the railway transport network began to develop rapidly, there was a need to know exactly what time it was in different parts of the world. It would be inconvenient to establish a common time on earth, so the globe was divided into 24 conditional parts with a step of 15 degrees in longitude. In the middle of the very first time zone, the Greenwich meridian passes, which is considered the reference point of coordinates on the globe. It is named after a scientific observatory located in London.
TIME IN SEOUL
To eliminate the shortcomings that the Greenwich time scale had, in the 70s of the 20th century, the world scientific community introduced the concept of "coordinated universal time". This newly introduced standard is used all over the world today. The need for it arose due to the need to conduct more and more accurate astronomical measurements. This scale is based on the uniform scale of atomic time. Its independence from the daily rotation of the Earth, unlike the Greenwich Mean Time scale, allows scientists to measure the smallest changes in the rotation of our planet.
The conditional division of the Earth into 24 time zones was made in order to take into account the rotation of the Earth around its axis, as well as to determine the closest areas the globe by daily illumination. But the borders of states are not subject to natural rules, so each country sets the official time on its territory, based on its own convenience.
The Korean peninsula had local time before its annexation by Japan. However, having fallen under the influence of Japan, local time was abolished in Korea, and a single Tokyo Standard Time was established throughout Korea. That is how it was called by Western countries during the Second World War.
After losing to Japan in the war, in 1945 the Korean peninsula was divided into two parts between the allies. Thus was formed communist North Korea and the Republic of Korea, located on the southern part of the peninsula and under American influence.
The time zone to which South Korea belongs is designated as UTC+9:00. This entry means the following:
- UTC- the designation of the time zone adopted between countries on the scale of Coordinated Universal Time.
- "+" sign means the direction of the report from the Greenwich meridian to the East.
- "9:00"- means the difference in time between the Greenwich meridian and the time accepted in the country.
In the same time zone there are such states as:
- Japan;
- Indonesia;
- Papua;
- Maluku;
- East Timor.
There is a ninth time zone in Russia. It includes the following areas of our country:
- Yakutia;
- Amur region;
- Zabaykalsky Krai.
The northern neighbor of South Korea, the DPRK, lived according to its own time, which differed from South Korean by half an hour and was designated as UTC + 8:30. The allocation of a separate time zone in North Korea happened quite recently. It happened on August 15, 2015.
TIME IN Pyongyang
And the choice of this date is not accidental. Recall that Japanese time in the then unified Korea was introduced in 1910. And on the 70th anniversary of the liberation from Japanese occupation in Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK, it was decided to return the historical local time. In those days, the same time was used in Blagoveshchensk and the regions adjacent to the city. The same time in the early 20th century was used in the northeastern provinces of China. This belt in those days was called Changbai.
Interestingly, the Changbai time zone was also used in South Korea. This was the period from 1954 to 1964. However, in 1964, when South Korea finally fell under the influence of the Western world, and a US military base was located on the territory of South Korea, the time zone was changed and made back the same as in Japan. So the difference was half an hour. But from May 5, 2018, the countries decided to take another step towards each other: the time in both Koreas became the same.
Friendly football matches are currently taking place. And all of South Korea could watch the broadcast in live game of his national team and the national team of Morocco, which was held on October 10, 2017 in Switzerland at 15:30 local time. The time difference was 7 hours because Switzerland lives in the UTC+2:00 time zone, while South Korea lives in UTC+9:00.
Knowing exactly what time zone the match took place in made it possible to watch it live not only to residents of South Korea, but also to all ethnic Koreans scattered around the world and living in other countries.
We are accustomed to consider our age from the moment of birth. It turns out that not all peoples use this method of counting years lived. In Korea, a completely different way of calculating has been adopted for a long time. And this is not the only difference. The traditional relationship between parents and children in this country can serve as a great example for the rest of the world.
Seems amazing, but the countdown childhood in Korea, it does not start from the day the child is born, as in the West, but from the beginning of the year, thereby rounding off the time spent by him in the womb. In addition, a person grows up for a year not on his birthday, but on January 1 according to the lunar calendar. So, a person born at the end of December 2013, on January 1, 2014, will immediately turn 2 years old.
The explanation for such a strange, at first glance, tradition lies in the historical and cultural features of the life of the inhabitants of the East Asian region. Unusual, in the European view, the chronology system originated in ancient China and is still widely used in other cultures East Asia. Interestingly, in Japan and Vietnam, this system is still used today in traditional divination and religion, but it has disappeared forever. Everyday life city dwellers. The echo of ancient traditions in the eastern part of Mongolia is also unusual, where age is traditionally determined based on the number full moons since conception for girls, and the number of new moons since birth for boys.
Koreans count their age in units called sal with the addition of Korean ordinal numbers. For example, a child born on the 29th day of the 12th month (according to the lunar calendar) in East Asian reckoning will reach the age of two years on Seollal (Korean New Year), while in the Western system he was only a few days old. That is why it is important for teachers and educators of young Korean children to clarify what age they were told - Korean or Western.
Except in the legal realm, East Asian age counting continues to be widely used by Koreans, but urban residents use the traditional system more frequently. International system The definition of age in Korea is called mannai where "man" means "full" or "actual" and "nai" means "age". For example, the phrase "mandasossal" would mean "five full years".
The Gregorian calendar and the calculation of age from birth (mannai) are now officially adopted in Korea, and are used in filling out documents and carrying out legal procedures. In addition, it counts the age limits for the use of alcohol and tobacco, the age of consent and the age of marriage, restrictions on viewing pornographic video products, as well as school and military age.
It is worth noting that although age is measured by the Lunar New Year, Koreans also celebrate their real birthday. The lunar birthday celebration is called "Eumnyeok saeng-il" in Korean, and "Yangyeok saeng-il" in the Gregorian calendar.
The 100th day of a child's life is especially important for Koreans. This day in Korea is called "pae-gil", which is Korean literally means "one hundred days", and to which the feast is timed. It appeared in Korea at a time when infant mortality was very high. Therefore, if the child lived to one year, it was believed that the crisis had passed, and that the child would live a long life. On this day, the child is wished a prosperous future.
All children in Korea must celebrate only During the celebration, the child is dressed in a special hanbok - a bright costume made of colored silk, specially made for this occasion, and a headdress: girls in chobavi or kull, and boys in pokkon or hogon. On this day, a big holiday is arranged, with a feast and congratulations. No matter how poor the family is, the holiday and treats on only will be arranged for sure. Everyone, from the poorest peasant kid to the emperor's heir, went through this custom. At the same time, when he coped only at the son of the emperor, the scope of celebrations took truly giant size: a luxurious table was set, congratulatory speeches were made, and an amnesty for prisoners was even announced on this occasion.
One of the most interesting events during roofing felt- this is "tolchabi". Koreans put various things on the table in front of the child, each of which has a certain meaning. The kid picks up something, and from this they conclude who the child will become in the future and what fate awaits him. Previously, rice, thread, money, a brush, a book and a bow were traditionally placed on the table. Modern parents, as a rule, no longer follow this custom so strictly and can put a computer mouse, a baseball or a toothbrush on the table. After choosing, they sing, dance and celebrate in every possible way with the child, give gifts, usually money, gold rings and clothes.
At home, family members thank the samsin gods guarding the growing child by offering them rice, miyok soup, and tteok. Special foods are put on the table that symbolize the wishes for the child: rainbow tteok, miyeok soup, fruits. Soup (miyeokguk) is served on every birthday to commemorate the suffering of the mother during childbirth.
The one-year-old baby himself sits next to his parents, watching the ritual in his honor. From this moment on, the participation of children in traditional rituals, ceremonies and holidays becomes necessary condition Korean life. On this day, for the first time, the child begins to understand the significance of traditional holidays, feels love and respect for himself, gets to know more relatives and feels like a full member of the family. The child learns not only to treat gifts and treats with care, but also for the first time feels a high responsibility to his elders and listens attentively to their teachings and wishes. Thus, during the holiday, little Koreans get acquainted with the ancient traditions and rules of folk rituals that have become laws for the Korean people.
It is important to note that traditionally Koreans celebrate their birthday only twice in their lives, in one year - only at the age of 60. According to Korean traditions, a child under 5-6 years old personifies the divine principle. It is believed that after 1 year of life, the soul of the child is fully formed, and he, directly communicating with the souls of his ancestors, helps them in afterlife. Therefore, Korean parents spoil their child and allow various pranks.
Thus, it becomes clear that in traditional Korea, the birth of children was given great importance. Interestingly, according to the Confucian traditions adopted today in Korea, any person is in absolute obedience to his parents always, and not until he reaches adulthood, as was considered in Europe.
Koreans are some of the most caring parents in the world, and the question of a son or grandson can soften even the most unfriendly interlocutor. Parents give all mental and financial strength to children in a Korean family. And even if there is a conflict between spouses, it rarely affects children. Therefore, despite some oddities in the calculation of age, the people of the West can learn a lot from the people of Korea.
