Social Etiquette
Korean people advocate Confucianism and respect their elders. When the elders enter the house, everyone must stand up and ask them if they may live long. Take off your sunglasses when talking to elders. You must greet your parents when you get up in the morning and after meals; when your parents come back from a trip, your children must greet others before they can eat. When riding in a car, give your seat to an older person. catch. When eating, the meal should be served to the elderly or elders first. After the elderly move their chopsticks, others can eat. When riding in a car, give your seat to an older person.
The traditional etiquette for Koreans when meeting is to bow. When juniors or subordinates meet their elders or superiors while walking, they should bow, greet, and stand aside to show their respect. When men meet and greet each other, they bow and shake hands, either with both hands or with their left hand, and are limited to one nod. Bowing etiquette is generally not used among businessmen. When dealing with South Korean officials, you can usually shake hands or give a slight nod of the head. Women generally don't shake hands.
In social groups and banquets, men and women socialize separately, even at home or in restaurants.
In Korea, if someone invites you to their home for a meal or banquet, you should bring a small gift, preferably packaged food. When toasting during the banquet, you should hold the wine bottle with your right hand and hold the bottom of the bottle with your left hand, then bow and say a toast, and finally pour the wine, and three glasses in a row. The toaster should raise his glass lower and touch the other party's glass with the rim of his own glass. After the toast, you can bow again before leaving. When you are a guest, the host will not let you see the whole house, so don't walk around by yourself. When you want to leave, the host walks you to the door, or even outside the door, and then says goodbye.
Korean people receive gifts with both hands, but do not open them in front of guests. It is not appropriate to send foreign cigarettes to Korean friends. Wine is the best gift for Korean men, but you cannot give wine to women unless you make it clear that the wine is for her husband. When giving gifts to Koreans, you should note that Korean men like brand-name textiles, ties, lighters, electric shavers, etc. Women like cosmetics, bags, gloves, scarves, and kitchen spices. Children love food. If sending money, it should be placed in an envelope.
If you want to visit, please make an appointment in advance. Koreans attach great importance to reception during interactions. Banquets are usually held in restaurants or bars, and the wife is rarely present.
Taboos
The government stipulates that Korean citizens must respect the national flag, national anthem, and national flower. Not only do radio stations regularly broadcast the national anthem, but theaters also play the national anthem before performances, requiring the audience to stand. If foreigners show excessive indolence in the above places, it will be considered as disrespectful to Korea and the Korean people.
Korean people have many taboos. When meeting each other during the holidays, you should not say unlucky words, let alone get angry or quarrel. During the first three days of the first lunar month, you are not allowed to take out garbage, sweep the floor, or kill chickens or pigs. Avoid making fire during the Cold Food Festival. The zodiac sign loves marriage, so the wedding day should not fall on a single day. Fishermen are not allowed to turn the fish over because they are afraid of capsizing the boat. Don't go to someone else's house to cut your nails, otherwise the two families will get into trouble after death. Don't wear a hat when eating, otherwise you will be poor for life. Avoid sleeping with a book on your pillow, otherwise you will not be able to read. Avoid killing dogs born in the first month, otherwise they will die within three years.
When sitting with older people, sit with an upright posture. Since the Korean dining table is a small table with short legs, placed on the floor, both the host and the guest should sit cross-legged on the floor. If you are in front of elders, you should kneel and sit on the soles of your feet. No matter who you are, you must not straighten or spread your legs. Otherwise, it will be considered impolite or insulting. You are not allowed to smoke in front of your superiors or elders, and you are not allowed to borrow or receive fire from them without obtaining permission. Don't make any noise while eating, let alone talk. You should take off your shoes when entering a family home or a Korean restaurant. Eating on the street and blowing your nose in front of others are considered rude.
Photography is strictly restricted in South Korea. Military facilities, airports, reservoirs, subways, national museums and entertainment venues are all prohibited. Photography in the air and in high-rise buildings is also prohibited.
Social etiquette
In terms of social etiquette, South Korea generally does not use handshakes as a courtesy when meeting. When shaking hands, use both hands or your right hand alone.
When a junior or subordinate shakes hands with an elder or superior, after the latter extends his hand, the former must shake hands with his right hand first, and then gently place his left hand on top of the latter's right hand. In Korea, women and children generally do not shake hands with men, but nod or bow as common etiquette. Use honorifics and honorifics when addressing people, and rarely call each other directly by name. If the other party has a status and title in society, Koreans will definitely use it repeatedly.
Clothing and Etiquette
In social situations, most Koreans can speak English and have no favorable impression of Japanese-speaking people. In Korea, dressing is not too avant-garde and is solemn and conservative. Men usually wear jackets and long trousers, while women generally wear short jackets and chest-length skirts.
Dining etiquette
Korean people generally like to eat spicy and sour foods. The staple food is mainly rice and cold noodles. Dishes include kimchi, roast beef, roast dog meat, ginseng chicken, etc. Generally speaking, Korean dishes do not have too many varieties, and most of them are relatively bland. Generally speaking, Korean men have a good drinking capacity and are willing to drink soju, sake, and beer, while most women do not drink alcohol. On weekdays, most Koreans drink tea and coffee. However, Koreans usually do not drink gruel and do not like to drink clear soup. Koreans generally don’t like to eat things that are too oily, too greasy, or too sweet. It’s nothing more than duck, mutton and fatty pork, as well as bear paws and tiger meat. When eating, chopsticks are generally used. For environmental protection, Koreans will provide you with iron tableware. When eating with elders, you are not allowed to use chopsticks first, and you are not allowed to use chopsticks to point at others. After eating, place the chopsticks neatly on the tabletop. It is not appropriate to talk loudly while eating. It is also very embarrassing to make too much noise in your mouth when eating. When having a banquet at a Korean home, the guests and hosts usually sit around a square table with low legs. Sit cross-legged on the floor. In this case, do not touch your feet with your hands, straighten your legs, or spread your legs. This is not allowed.
Customs and taboos
Korean people cherish the color white. The national flower is the hibiscus, the pine is the national tree, the magpie is the national bird, and the tiger is the national animal. The taboo numbers are "4" and "13". Since the pronunciation is the same as "death", Koreans should not use similar words such as "private", "teacher" and "thing".
Korean people have strong national self-esteem, oppose worshiping foreigners and advocate the use of domestic products. When giving gifts, the best choices are flowers, wine and crafts. It's best if it's not Japanese.
In Korea, men are superior to women. When entering a room, women are not allowed to walk in front of men. Women must help men take off their coats. When sitting down, women must take the initiative to sit behind men. Don't talk loudly in front of men.
Folk Customs
1. Surnames and Folk Concepts
Most Korean names have three characters, and a few have two characters. The first character is the surname, the second and third characters are the given name, and one of them represents the clan generation. This character is usually attached to the man's name, and it is different for each generation. It can be placed in the second or third character at will. On the position of the third character. According to the "Supplementary Documents Preparation" at the end of the Lee Dynasty, there were 496 surnames in Korea, but a survey in 1960 found that there were only 411. Among them, the top 10 surnames were: Kim (accounting for about 21.7%), Lee ( Accounting for approximately 14.8), Pu (accounting for approximately 8.5), Cui, Zheng, Jiang, Zhao, Yin, Zhang, and Lin. Most of them have single surnames, and a few have compound surnames, such as Xianyu, Amamiya, Okada, Hasegawa, etc. The law stipulates that people with the same place of origin and the same surname cannot marry. If a marriage is forced without authorization, not only will the parents not recognize the marriage, but the political authorities will also not handle the marriage registration procedures. However, in recent years, there have been strong calls to abolish this rule.
Korean people have a strong sense of "blood ties" and "nativeness", and their kinship network is particularly developed. Even distant relatives are relatively close to each other, and people from the same hometown are often familiar with each other. Political relations are also affected by regional perceptions, with voters generally only supporting candidates from their own region. The strong local concept has also caused some negative effects. For example, there are regional conflicts between Gyeongsang North and South Province and Jeolla North and South Province. More than a thousand years ago, Gyeongsang-do was the birthplace of the ancient Silla country, and Geumra-do was the seat of the ancient Baekje country. Later, Silla destroyed Baekje and unified the country.
Due to historical reasons, most of the people who have ruled South Korea from ancient times to the present are Gyeongsang Taoists, four presidents including Park Chung-hee, Kim Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo and Kim Young-sam, the big chaebols Lee Byung-chul (Samsung), Koo In-hue (Gold Star), Kim Woo-jung (large characters) and 70 -80% of senior military generals were born in Gyeongsang Province. Kim Dae-jung, the most famous leader of the opposition party, and Kim Ji-ha, the famous poet who opposed the dictatorship, were both born in Jeolla Province. The Gwangju anti-government riots in 1980 also occurred in Jeolla Province.
2. Etiquette and taboos
(1) Etiquette
South Korea is deeply influenced by Confucian education. The etiquette is characterized by the emphasis on status, seniority, age, etc. There are differences between young and old. People with high status and seniority, elders and men must be respected. When speaking, you must use honorifics (the grammatical form held by Korean). When meeting, you must greet first. When walking together, give way and cannot walk. in front of them. In the family, men are superior to women, with men taking charge of the outside world and women taking charge of the house. The promotion of "good wives and mothers" means that almost all housework falls on women. Men and women over 7 years old cannot sit together. In families with better economic conditions, most women do not work after marriage. Even if they do work, their pay is lower than that of men. In recent years, the feminist movement has developed, striving for equality between men and women, equal pay for equal work, and demanding that the retirement age for female civil servants be changed from 43 to 50.
1. Greeting people you know. When you meet, you must greet each other. Depending on your status, you can nod, bow, shake hands or hug.
2. When introducing guests to the home, parents and guests should salute each other, then introduce the identity and title of each guest to their children, and ask their children to bow or kneel to the guests. If you are in a workplace, introduce people from your workplace to the visiting guests first.
3. Koreans are very hospitable when entertaining guests. When entertaining guests, they often try their best to bring out the best food in the house. Guests should drink and eat as much as possible. The more they eat, the more they show off. The depth of emotion. Korean men generally like to drink jijiu, and they drink a lot. They toast each other, talk and sing while drinking, which is very lively. The Chinese history book "The Biography of Wei Shi Dongyi" records Korean customs of drinking, singing and dancing. According to a 1981 survey by the World Health Organization (WHO), the average amount of liquor consumed by each person in South Korea is 9.2 liters per year, ranking first in the world. When drinking, sit down according to status and generation, and pour the wine in turn. The person with the highest position raises his glass first, followed by others in turn. People with a big difference in status cannot drink at the same table. When circumstances have to force it, people with lower status should drink with their faces turned away. When clinking glasses with each other, the person with a lower status should touch the rim of the glass against the other person's glass body. Do not touch the glass flatly, otherwise it is rude. When a person of low status needs to toast to a person of high status, he should obtain his consent. When he comes forward to toast, he should bow first and say some words of congratulations. He should hold the bottle in his right hand and hold the bottom of the bottle in his left hand. It should be noted that the toaster only pours the wine and does not accompany the drink. He should also bow when leaving. The person receiving the toast should say some words of thanks. When people of similar status toast each other, they should pour wine to each other and clink glasses to drink.
4. Offering cigarettes to guests is also a habit that Koreans have had since ancient times. However, generally speaking, people with low status cannot smoke in front of people with high status. Children must not smoke in front of their parents, let alone borrow or pick up a fire from them.
5. Pay attention to wearing socks. You must take off your shoes when entering Korean homes, and you must also take off your shoes when eating in Korean restaurants, so be sure to wear clean socks. Socks that are dirty or have holes are considered rude and are considered uneducated. When taking a seat, both guests and hosts must sit cross-legged on the floor. They cannot straighten their legs, let alone spread them apart.
(2) Taboos
Korean people generally taboo the word "four". Because "four" and "death" in Korean have the same pronunciation, they are traditionally considered unlucky. Therefore, there are no No. 4 buildings, no. 4 floors, and No. 4 rooms in Korea. There is no No. 4 division in the army. In the banquet hall Without four tables, you cannot toast four glasses of wine, and you cannot light cigarettes to four people in succession.
In addition, pregnant women are not allowed to break bowls, for fear that the fetus will have a split mouth; marriages should be avoided if the zodiac signs are incompatible, and wedding days should be chosen on even days rather than single days; auspicious words should be said during festivals; men should not ask about a woman's age and marital status; squirting or squirting You should express your apology when picking up a piece of paper; you should cover your mouth with your hand or napkin when picking your teeth; you should use your right hand to hand over things, not your left hand, because the traditional concept is that "the right is superior to the left and the left is inferior", and it is considered impolite to hand over things with the left hand, etc. wait.
3. Clothing and hats
Modern Korean men mostly wear suits, and women wear dresses in many styles. Traditional clothing is full of ethnic characteristics. Men's clothing mainly includes jackets, trousers, waistcoats, robes, etc. The coat is mostly white and is called "Ze Gaoli". The right lapel of the coat is on the inside and the left lapel is on the outside. The coat belt is used to fasten a certain style of buckle on the right chest. The trousers are called "Baki", and the crotch, legs and trouser legs of the trousers are relatively large. The waistcoat is worn outside the coat and has rich colors and patterns. The biggest feature of women's clothing is that the coat is short and close to the body. Skirts are divided into long skirts and tube skirts. Long skirts are as long as the heels and are worn by women after marriage. Women before marriage wear tube skirts, which are as long as the calf and have many slits around the waist. Women also wear aprons when cooking and washing, which is called "Xingzhou Skirt". The name "Xingzhou Skirt" has a historical origin. Legend has it that in February 1593 AD, Japan sent troops to besiege Xingzhou Mountain City, which was more than 20 kilometers away from Seoul. The soldiers and civilians in the city, under the command of General Kwon Ryul, fought to the death. Xingzhou used women in aprons to carry stones to the front, which effectively boosted the morale of the soldiers who defended the city. They defeated the enemy and defended the castle. From then on, the aprons worn by Korean women were renamed "Xingzhou Skirts".
Korean women like to wear headscarves. Head scarves are divided into triangle scarves and square scarves, and the materials include silk, satin and chemical fiber. Some are printed, some are embroidered, and older women mostly wear white headscarves. When men go out to work, travel, or are sick at home, they often wrap a towel around their heads to prevent dust, and to wipe away sweat and wash their faces. There are many styles of traditional Korean folk hats, generally including: 1. Rock scarf. A kind of hat made of ponytail. The top is low in front and high in back. It is trapezoidal. Few people wear it now. 2. Li. A wide-brimmed hat worn by men. The most popular one is a black hat, which is round in shape. It is cylindrical and covers the top of the head. The brim is very wide and is used to block the sun, rain and snow. The materials used are reeds, bamboo baskets, pine baskets, silk and satin, cotton cloth, paper and matcha, etc.; 3. Crown. Also known as gauze hat, it is woven from human hair or black Ma Zhai. There are square, fan-shaped and compound-wing shapes. Men, especially the elderly, have the custom of wearing crowns, which has been followed to this day.
4. Eating habits
Korean people are very particular about their diet. There is a saying that "food is one of the five blessings". The characteristic of Korean cuisine is the "five flavors and five colors", which is a mixture of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty and red, white, black, green and yellow. The daily diet of Koreans is rice, kimchi, doenjang, gochujang, pickles, eight delicacies and doenjang soup. The main ingredients of Bazhen Cuisine are mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, water tofu, dry tofu, vermicelli, toon root, Tibetan vegetables and mushrooms.
Korean people especially like to eat chili peppers. Chili noodles and chili sauce are indispensable seasonings. This is due to the fact that the climate in South Korea is cold and humid, and growing rice requires resistance to cold and moisture, just as kimchi is an essential winter non-staple food with Korean national characteristics. Every November, after the cabbage and radish are washed and dried, various seasonings such as pepper, garlic, onion, and seafood are added, covered in a large vat, and sealed for half a month to one month before consumption. Every housewife has a unique craft and secret recipe for making kimchi, so the taste of kimchi varies from house to house.
Korean people like to eat beef, chicken and fish, but do not like to eat mutton, duck and greasy food. Dog meat is one of their favorite meats.
There are many springs in South Korea, and the spring water is clean, cool and sweet, because Koreans generally do not drink tea or boiled water.
Korean people are accustomed to eating on a low table, which is equipped with rice bowls, soup bowls, sauce dishes, and plates for side dishes. Chopsticks and spoons are also used for eating.
The famous local dishes in Korea mainly include: various sashimi, Mokpo fish, Gwangju stewed suckling pig, roast beef, raw beef stomach (i.e. beef louver), ginseng chicken, fairy pot (That is, Yuekouzi soup, similar to Chinese hot pot).
Korean people’s diet is inseparable from crispy products, and there are many types, mainly kimchi and pickled fish.
Korean people love soup.
Soup is an important part of the Korean diet and is indispensable when dining. There are many types, including miso soup, dog meat soup, etc.
Korean people often eat desserts, pastries and pasta, mainly including maltose, honeyed nuts, cakes, steamed cakes, steamed cakes, armor cakes, oil cakes, cold noodles, etc.
The daily drinks of Koreans include alcohol and soft drinks. Samhae Liquor is a kind of turbid liquor, and its history can be traced back to the Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo periods. Because it is brewed by farmers, it is commonly known as agricultural wine, which is mixed with clear honey, but has low alcohol content and is refreshing and delicious. In addition, there are also long-storage sake and amazake suitable for winter brewing. Soft drinks mainly include homemade scented tea and persimmon juice. The former has the same name as Chinese scented tea but has nothing to do with it, while the latter is mostly consumed on New Year's Day.
5. Life Customs
From birth to adulthood, Koreans have to perform many rituals, which have been gradually simplified. The traditional rituals mainly include:
Families who hang a forbidden thread to give birth must put a straw rope on the gate, commonly known as the forbidden thread. If a boy is born, charcoal, pine branches and chili peppers are placed on the straw rope; if a girl is born, charcoal, pine branches and paper strips are placed on the straw rope. The cordon must be hung for 21 days, and no one in mourning or sick is allowed to enter.
The first 7 days after the birth of a Panax notoginseng baby is called Lanzhai. The mother-in-law will cook special food for the mother, and distribute steamed cakes and seaweed soup to relatives, friends and neighbors to express the mother's sincerity. and the baby are healthy and well, and next of kin will be able to visit from now on.
The father usually names the baby before the full moon.
Selling Children Some families are afraid that their children will lose their husbands, so they regard trees with inscriptions on their walls as their fathers, praying that they will protect their children from illness, health, and longevity. For this reason, the child's name must be changed accordingly.
The 100th day after a baby is born is called a hundred days. It is a day to entertain relatives, friends and neighbors. Guests presented small clothes and gifts to the mother and baby, wishing the baby healthy growth.
On the first anniversary of the birth of a one-year-old child? Mother-in-law dresses Ying'er in rainbow clothes to "catch the week." In modern times, most people take photos to commemorate the child's first birthday; then relatives and friends come to congratulate, and the host hosts a banquet. .
Crown Ceremony When a man turns 20, he performs the crowning ceremony to indicate that he has grown up. The ancient crown ceremony ceremony was complicated, but now it has been greatly simplified and even no longer performed. The ceremony is generally performed on an auspicious day of the first month of the lunar calendar.
When a girl reaches the age of 15, a hair-tying ceremony is held, usually hosted by the mother of the recipient.
The 60th birthday of the sixtieth birthday is called the sixtieth birthday. Congratulations on your sixtieth birthday are a big event in the family. The ceremony is usually held at the eldest son's home, and relatives and friends also come to celebrate the birthday. The birthday celebration ceremony is very grand. Children, grandchildren, relatives and friends pay tribute and give gifts in order of generation, wishing the elderly a long life.
Jinjia is considered to be Jinjia when he is 70 years old. When parents reach their first year of life, their children want to congratulate the elderly on their birthdays. The ceremony is the same as celebrating sixtieth birthday.
6. Folk Entertainment and Farm Music and Dance
(1) Traditional Folk Entertainment
The Korean people have been known for their bravery, wisdom and optimism since ancient times. In the course of history, many recreational activities with strong national characteristics have been created, learned and developed.
Swing is a traditional game played by Korean women and children during festivals. Height determines the outcome during the competition. Generally, a treetop is designated as the target to see who can kick or bite it. Some hang a bell. The autumn stem swings higher and higher, and the bell rises higher and higher until it can no longer be touched by the feet.
Scratcher board is a popular entertainment activity for Korean women. It has strong national characteristics and broad mass character. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the fifth day of the fifth month, and the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, women put on festive clothes and gather together to participate in Xiaoban burning activities and have fun. There are double jumps and quadruple jumps, which are comparable in height and thrilling skills such as somersaults and hoops.
When Korean women spin hemp or cotton, a dozen or even dozens of households are often together, helping each other and singing while working.
Yard dance is a dance held in the farmyard. The dance began with a band playing, then girls holding handkerchiefs to perform dances, then teenagers performing a knife dance, and finally a flute and other musical instrument solos.
Wrestling, also known as horn show, wrestling and wrestling, is one of the traditional festival sports activities for Korean men. The champion will get a big ox, and the rest will get pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks according to their ranking.
Archery is one of the favorite program competitions for Korean men. The rankings are determined based on the distance of the shot and the number of target rings. During the competition, the players wear national costumes and the scene is extremely spectacular and lively.
Tug-of-war is a traditional game that is often held during festivals, and the number of participants often reaches hundreds to thousands. Korean tug-of-war is very different from regular tug-of-war. The straw rope used in tug-of-war can be divided into main rope and branch rope. The thickness and length of the rope are determined according to the number of participants. The diameter of the main rope for hundreds of people participating in the competition is about 50-60 cm, and the length is 300-400 meters. Every 1-2 One branch rope is tied to the rope every 1 meter, and sometimes there are more than 100 branch ropes. On the 12th and 13th of the first lunar month, a small-scale tug-of-war competition was held for children from the two villages. The next day was a massive tug-of-war for grown men. In addition to the prize, the winning team can also carry away all the tug-of-war ropes of the losing team and return to the village to hold a celebration event.
Equestrians perform various tricks on horses. There are single performances and double performances.
In addition to the above-mentioned activities, there are also entertainment games such as stone throwing battles, chariot battles, dice throwing, kite racing, pot throwing, tourist attractions, official promotion charts, etc.
(2) Farm music, songs and dances
Farmers sing different songs and dance different dances depending on the content of their work, starting from the time they prepare for farming in the spring until the autumn harvest. The main labor songs include: fertilizer delivery song, spring plowing song, rice planting song, wheat threshing song, sickle grinding song and harvest song, etc. The main dances include nong music dance, mutual aid dance and Om Hi Ya dance.
7. Housing
Korean folk traditional housing is very distinctive, reflecting the mild and beautiful natural conditions of the Korean Peninsula and the characteristics of people in the past who relied on agriculture as their main production activity. Traditional houses are all bungalows, which can be divided into the following three categories according to their location and layout:
A single-row house consists of an inner room, an outer room and a kitchen. Each room has a door that opens outwards, and each room has a small connecting door. There is a front porch on the front of the inner and outer rooms. The floor between the inner room and the outer room is a rectangular fire pit, separated by sliding doors or partitions. The single-row house has a fence in the front yard and a gate in the front.
The double-row house consists of the main house at the back and the gatehouse at the front. The two sides are connected by fences in the middle to form a courtyard. The main house consists of an inner room, an outer room, a front porch and a kitchen. The gatehouse has a doorway in the middle, a guest room on the right, and a guest room and a barn on the left. The courtyard has a main entrance and a side entrance, and visitors enter and exit through the main entrance.
The right-angle room is connected by the main room and the side room to form a right-angle shape. There is a spacious kitchen at the junction of the main room and the wing room. The main house consists of a kitchen, an inner room (some inner rooms are divided into an upper inner room and a lower inner room), an outer room and a front porch; the guest rooms are divided into upper guest rooms, lower guest rooms and small corridors. Each room has a door that opens outward, and there are small sliding doors connecting adjacent rooms. Enclose the courtyard with a fence.
Sihefang, also known as tic-tac-toe house, is a quadrangle-type residence, consisting of a right-angle house plus a side room and a concierge. The wing has two warehouses, some of which are also occupied by people; the gatehouse has two rooms and a simple kitchen, as well as a doorway and a barn.
Guests must first say hello when visiting. After the host replies, the guest takes off his shoes in the corridor and enters the outer room through the main door. He cannot enter the outer room from the kitchen or inner room. Families with side rooms have dedicated guest rooms where guests can converse with the host. '"…'
In the past, in families with strict feudal ethics, adult men generally did not enter the kitchen, and male guests were not allowed to enter the kitchen casually. Although this habit is no longer paid attention to, male guests should also do so unless there are special circumstances. Try to avoid entering.
8. Marriage and Funerals
(1) Marriage Customs
Korean marriage customs coexist with traditional marriage customs, new marriages and religious weddings. Strong national style. South Korea's marriage customs have developed greatly, mainly as follows: First, the age of marriage has gradually increased from low to high. In the past, boys who were 13 to 14 years old or even younger had to marry a wife who was several years older than themselves. Yu early embraced his grandson, and his wife took care of her husband and raised him.
The current law stipulates that men can only get married when they are 20 years old and women can only get married when they are 18 years old. However, in real life, both men and women are committed to work and study, and they get married later than the legal age. Second, weddings have changed from complicated to simple, and the cost has been greatly reduced. Whether it is the wedding procedure, the number of guests or the time and method of celebrating the continuation, etc., they are becoming increasingly simplified, freeing people from heavy mental and financial burdens. New-style marriage is free love, and the engagement ceremony is optional. Although the wedding ceremony varies from place to place, it generally has the following procedures: amidst the sound of music, the groom and the bride wearing wedding clothes enter and salute each other; the officiant introduces the groom , the bride's resume, the marriage certificate is read out, the groom and the bride exchange gifts; the officiant delivers a speech, the representatives of the male and female parties speak, the groom and the bride deliver speeches, and the guests deliver their blessings; the groom and the bride exit amid the music. After the ceremony, the groom hosted a banquet to entertain the guests, and people sang and danced to bless the couple.
Korean traditional old-style marriage has many procedures and complicated etiquette. It generally includes the following procedures: Marriage negotiation. After being introduced by a matchmaker, the parents of both men and women discuss the marriage and make a marriage contract for their children, which is called marriage negotiation. Traditionally, a man and a woman enter into a marriage contract based on the words of the matchmaker and the orders of their parents.
When Nacai gets engaged, the man sends someone to give the woman a betrothal gift, also known as a "letter of delivery" (this box). The letter contains letters and blue and green colored satin for the woman to make tops and skirts. The woman still needs to reply.
When getting married in Nabi, the man uses two boxes to contain "ceremony certificates" (letters) and gifts. The gift is tied with red silk thread, first with red satin and then with green satin. The box is delivered to the girl's house by the man's unmarried relatives and friends.
Before Juanji got married, the woman informed the man of the chosen wedding date and called her Juanji. Before marriage, the woman should perform divination based on the four pillars and five elements of both parties (called "Gonghe"), and choose a good and auspicious day for the wedding.
On the day of the wedding, the groom gets up early and puts on the wedding dress (shape cap, collar, chest, etc.) Back, embroidered belt, black boots), the parents go to the ancestral hall to pray and worship the ancestors. After that, the groom rides with his entourage to the bride's house to welcome the bride. The guest in the entourage refers to the groom's father or the bride. The uncle needs to carry "Wooden Goose" along the way to show his congratulations. The bride wears a velvet flower crown and a beautiful rainbow wedding dress to bid farewell to her parents. Her parents repeatedly remind her to be filial to her parents-in-law and pay attention to the etiquette of relatives. The bride is surrounded by the bride and taken to the middle gate. In the courtyard, the groom and the bride perform the "goose laying" ceremony. The so-called "goose laying" means that the groom enters the bride's house, places it on the table, and pays homage to his mother-in-law, asking her to give the goose to her. Feeding noodles means that the newlyweds will love each other as devotedly as wild geese and grow old together. After presenting the wild geese, the bride comes out to meet the groom, bows to each other, connects their wrists with blue and red silk threads, drinks three cups of wine, and exchanges. Wedding ring. Then the bride is helped by her mother or relatives to the front of the sedan, and the groom opens the sedan curtain. The bride enters the sedan and leads the way. The sedan follows behind and is tied to the temple with a white cloth strip. After the sedan arrives at the groom's house, the groom dismounts and enters the house. The sedan then passes over a bonfire made of grass before entering the courtyard. The greeters throw beans into the sedan on the floor of the yard and a couple of lights are placed on the table. There are candles, two vases with pine branches and bamboos, several plates of chestnuts, dates and persimmons, as well as a hen and a rooster. When the bride gets off the sedan chair and enters the house, she is first held by the geese (carried by the groom's family). After entering the new house, the groom takes off the bride's hijab, and relatives and friends can break the window paper to peek, so the room is often equipped with a wedding dress. Candles in the bridal chamber cannot be blown out with your mouth, but must be cut with chopsticks or scissors. Otherwise, it is said that one of the couple will lose good luck. When getting married, the bride and groom must eat two kinds of food. The first is cold noodles, with long noodles, symbolizing longevity and happiness; the second is round rice cakes, symbolizing flowers, love, and a happy life.
Disclosure of the banquet after the wedding. The next day, after the bride pays a visit to her parents-in-law, the parents-in-law hold a family dinner called a disclosure banquet to thank the bride. Relatives, friends and neighbors are invited to attend, and wine, food and dishes are given to those who are inconvenient to attend the banquet due to old age or poverty, as a token of appreciation for them. of respect and concern.
On the third day after the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom and the bride go to their wife’s house to visit their father-in-law, mother-in-law and relatives. This is called the wedding ceremony.
The bride returns to her parents’ home to pay homage to her parents. Two months or one year after the marriage, the bride, accompanied by her husband or father-in-law, returns to her natal home with food and gifts to visit her parents. In some places, there is a custom that a woman is not allowed to visit her parents' home for three years, or even be barred from returning to her parents' home for the rest of her life. But smart people have come up with a remedy for meeting halfway, which is to make an appointment in advance with the time and place between the in-laws. The husband's family will prepare food for the daughter-in-law and deliver it to the agreed place, and then meet the mother-in-law's family and have a dinner outdoors.