Korean wedding: customs and traditions, features, interesting facts

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Korean wedding is not just a union of two loving hearts, but a real sacrament, overflowing with various traditional rituals. This is a real union of two families. The Korean drama “Wedding” very well describes the wedding traditions and obligatory rituals that should be present at every wedding among this people. It carefully observes all the nuances of the traditional celebration. Many well-known Korean dramas: "The Great Wedding", "Wedding Planner" and others - reveal in great detail all the intricacies and ceremonies of a traditional wedding in Korea, ranging from dating families of the newlyweds to post-wedding traditions.

When do Koreans start a family?

The specificity of the Korean people lies in the fact that conservative views on life are alien to them, and therefore most of the citizens consider those people who are not married by the age of 30 to be strange and abnormal. Usually in Korea, it is customary to be burdened by marriage at the age of 24-27, this age is ideal in order to have time to achieve something in life and take care of a dowry to start a family.

IfBy this age, young people do not yet have a couple, then friends and relatives begin to take an active part in the search for a future husband or wife for them. The services of professional matchmakers are very common in Korea, who select the most profitable candidates, guided not only by the external data of future partners, but also by the material condition of each of them, as well as human qualities. This is justified by the fact that it is customary for Koreans to create a family once and for all, and they perceive divorce as something out of the ordinary.

Introducing young parents before the wedding

Despite the fact that Korea is a fairly progressive and developed country, and young people there have long had the right to choose their soulmate with whom they plan to connect their lives, there is one tradition. It is called "seogaechin" and involves the meeting of the parents of both newlyweds to get to know each other.

This tradition is not just an act of courtesy, at such a meeting the future of the young is discussed, and what participation each of the parents will take in it, financial wedding issues are also discussed. In addition, at such meetings, parents can exchange certificates about the medical examination of their children, since Koreans take the birth of he althy offspring quite seriously.

There is one more nuance that is necessarily discussed at such meetings, this is the family origin of the future spouses - mon. Pon is a family estate that is inherited through the male line and represents a kind of settlement association. If it turns out that the newlyweds are from the samePona, they will not be able to marry, in which case everything is cancelled. If the young people from different pons, everything is in order with their he alth, and the parents were able to come to a common agreement regarding the organization of the wedding and the future fate of the future family, then matchmakers are soon sent to the bride.

Korean Bride Matchmaking

Matchmakers must be the father and uncle of the groom, as well as several of his friends. The main feature is an odd number of people, in addition, among the matchmakers there should not be divorced people so that their family misfortune is not passed on to the young.

Matchmakers should have a cheerful character, be able to joke, dance and sing. According to Korean traditions, being a matchmaker is a very honorable thing. The group should arrive at the house of the bride's parents to discuss the upcoming wedding and the subsequent life of the young spouses. It is very popular in Korea to organize a special mini-wedding instead of matchmaking - "chenchi", which, in fact, is a rehearsal of the main wedding ceremony or a bride-to-be. Chenchi is a kind of test of the groom's strength, since all the guests who will be present are simply obliged to constantly ask the groom tricky questions and make sharp jokes about him.

Bride price

Before a Korean wedding begins, a bride price is paid. Most people consider this tradition to be truly Slavic, but in fact, it has also existed among Koreans for a long time. Before the ransom for the groom, a certain ceremony is held in the father's house, inwhich he expresses his gratitude to his parents. First, the whole family gathers at the laid table and tastes various treats, after which the groom kneels, bows at the feet of his parents and expresses his gratitude to them.

After that, the groom with his retinue goes to the bride's house. There, he must first give the mother of the bride a pair of wooden figurines of geese, since these birds are a symbol of a happy family life. In addition to the mother, the groom must be met by the closest relatives of the bride, sisters or brothers, to whom he is also obliged to give gifts. And then the groom will definitely be able to get to the bride in the room where her father will be waiting for him. Here you will also have to pay a ransom, but it will be much more, but if the groom has cheerful and eloquent matchmakers, then it is likely that he will be able to pick up the bride for free.

The bride's visit to the groom's house

After the ransom, the bridegroom is given the dowry of the bride in the presence of the entire retinue of the young. Also, the bride's parents give her parting words and advice on family life.

Every parent wants their kids to have the best Korean wedding ever. In the groom's house, the young are expected to visit. Koreans have a wedding tradition of visiting the groom's house with the bride and her trousseau, which means she is now part of his family as well. On the threshold of the house, there must be a bag of rice, since rice among Koreans symbolizes a well-fed life. The bride, having come to her mother-in-law's house, must step over this bag and carefully walk alonga path of silk, which is laid out especially before her arrival. This path is a symbol of we alth and prosperity.

The bride's dowry must include a mirror, because it is in this mirror that the bride and mother-in-law should look together during her arrival at the groom's house, so that in the future there will never be quarrels and disagreements between them. When the bride has already entered the house, and the mother-in-law has received her, you can also bring in the girl's dowry.

Korean wedding venue

The bride's house is usually chosen as the venue for the solemn part. Both newlyweds must be in traditional wedding attire - hanbok. The bride wears a long-sleeved short vest over her hanbok, and the groom's hanbok is traditionally blue. Also, special red dots are glued on the bride's face, one on the cheeks and one on the forehead. A ceremonial platform is set up in the courtyard of the house, where the young people travel separately on special “gamma” wedding niches, which are traditionally decorated with flowers, preferably peonies, as a symbol of he alth and a happy life together. After the official marriage, the young people bow low to each other and drink wine from glasses that the mother of the bride must make herself from a pumpkin grown in her garden.

Features and traditions at the wedding

The main feature of a Korean wedding is that the newlyweds do not kiss at all, as this is not only not accepted in the country, but is also strictly prohibited by law. Kiss is usually replacedeating one date or marmalade at the same time. Also, according to Korean wedding etiquette, during the wedding ceremony, all guests, without exception, must wear white gloves.

Also, a distinctive feature of Korean weddings is an incredibly large number of guests, at least two hundred. It is believed that the more people come to the wedding, the higher her status. A celebration with a huge number of guests, who are not always even familiar with each other, is considered an indicator of we alth and luxury. Despite the large number of obligatory wedding ceremonies, the traditional Korean wedding does not last long, since all actions are scheduled literally every minute, Koreans are not lovers of long and protracted festivities.

Festive Banquet

A wedding banquet at a Korean wedding at the present time is not much different from a banquet at European-style weddings. Many traditions, unfortunately, have been lost over many decades. Many Korean celebrity weddings are completely European in nature with a standard outdoor ceremony and a buffet-style banquet, the whole event is very modest and restrained. Many newlyweds like to invite famous musicians to their wedding for a pleasant musical accompaniment of the celebration. Since there is no entertainment program familiar to our people at the banquet, the Korean wedding does not provide for a toastmaster. Usually it is replaced by close relatives or parents of the young, who themselves can sing, dance or show various funnyminiatures for guests.

As for the menu and dishes that must be present on the wedding table of Koreans, there are several obligatory dishes: noodles and a rooster. The presence of noodles is necessary because it is a symbol of a long life together for the newlyweds. A whole red chili pepper, decorated with multi-colored threads and shiny tinsel, is usually inserted into the beak of a bird, since according to Korean beliefs pepper protects from evil spirits, colorful tinsel is a symbol of the bright life of future spouses.

A rooster at a Korean wedding must be boiled whole, and it is served whole as well. Traditional dishes such as tteok, bulgogi, and kalbi are also featured at many banquets. However, recently the presence of European dishes on Korean wedding tables has become more and more visible.

After the wedding

Traditionally, the next day after the end of the Korean wedding, the young wife should get up early in the morning, preferably the very first, and be sure to cook rice for the whole family and upcoming guests. In addition, she must thoroughly clean the whole apartment, and if the family moved after the wedding to live in the house, then it means in the whole house and in the yard near it. This is all done because usually close relatives and parents from the groom's side come to visit the newlyweds at lunchtime to see which of the brides has turned out to be a hostess. The young wife, in turn, is obliged to present gifts to each of the guests, who mustprepare her parents.

What do they give young people at a wedding in Korea?

In the modern world, the Korean wedding, traditions and customs of which have existed for more than one century, is increasingly beginning to adopt European trends. This was reflected in the gifts that are usually given to young people for a wedding. Today, it is customary for newlyweds to give an envelope with money at a wedding, the amount will depend on how respectful the guest is towards the young people and how happy he is with their union.

Since over the past few decades, traditions have gradually begun to fade into the background, and material values have come to the fore, it is rather difficult to talk about what exactly, besides money, can be given to young people at a Korean wedding. The groom's parents usually have to give the young spouses an apartment or house where they can live as a separate family, and the bride's parents must completely equip this house or apartment. Also, close relatives of a young couple can make gifts that will be useful to the newlyweds in everyday life: watches, dishes, etc.