There are many social holidays in Korea dedicated to various members of society. These include Children's Day, Girl's Day, Boy's Day, Teacher's Day and Parents' Day, as well as some others. One of these holidays is the day of coming of age.
National traditions and age
Each country has its own customs. I wonder how many years in Korea they actually come of age?
Many cultures celebrate the transition from childhood to adulthood: in Jewish culture, this is celebrated on the 13th and 12th birthdays of boys and girls, respectively, while in Spanish cultures, quienceañera is celebrated on the 15th birthday of a girl. In Korea, the third Monday of May is a holiday for all those who turned 19 years old last year.
On this day, many people receive flowers (usually roses) and perfumes, and if you're lucky, then the first kiss. After 19 years, adolescents are considered adults and can vote, drive, smoke and drink - that is, do everything that adults are allowed.
How to celebrate coming of age in South Korea
Special ceremonies are held on this day. Participants wear traditional Korean clothing known as hanbok (한복). During the ceremony, they bow to parents who demonstrate pride in the maturity of their children. In turn, parents also bow to their children to recognize their transition to adulthood.
The coming of age ceremony in Korea has its roots in a traditional hairstyle change ceremony. Men pulled their hair into a knot from above and wore a traditional horsehair hat known as kat (갓). Women turned their braided braids into a complex hairstyle with a chignon (시뇽), which was held by a binho (비녀) - a long decorative jade hairpin.
The next part of the ceremony is chorye (초례), during which young people learn to drink alcohol correctly.
The last part of the ceremony is suhunrye (수 헌례), which was a promise to be a mature adult. After reading it, participants are considered full adults.
In addition to ceremonies in different parts of the country, there is also an award ceremony for the very best, exemplary young people. In addition to flowers and perfumes, young people and girls are also given champagne. These days, various gadgets are also a complement to these gifts.
Ceremony history
Despite the increasingly manifesting Western features, the celebration of coming of age in Korea has a tradition that goes back to the era of the Korean Dynasty (918-1392). The first written record of it dates back to 965, the reign of King Gwangjon (925-975). This entry describes how the young prince was presented with new clothes. This became a popular custom among upper class people by the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), where social codes and rules were necessary to maintain various family rituals.
Holiday for guys
The passage of the ceremony is divided into several parts. During the “cigar”, the young man wears traditional Korean outerwear, such as a light coat, called durumagi. A jaegarye wears an outfit called simui and a matching headdress known as yugeon. During samgarye, the hair is tied in a knot at the crown, young people wear a cylindrical hat woven from horsehair on a bamboo base (only adults can wear this hat). Along with this, a ceremonial adult costume is fully dressed, which includes the extra - official outerwear and the corresponding belt. Throughout the holiday, a young man receives a blessing from adults at every stage of the ceremony.
After all the stages of changing clothes went through, the chorye ceremony began, during which the young man bowed to all guests out of gratitude, and he also drank an alcoholic drink for the first time in the presence of adults. On the stage known as jagwanjarye, the young man was given a new name, denoted as ja, a sign of recognition of his initiation into adulthood, recognition of an adult who found his place in society. Finally, at the end of the ceremony, during the Gojuj, the young man visited his patrimonial shrine and performed the last worship of senior family members and relatives. The whole ritual was called "gwal".
Ceremony for girls
Meanwhile, the girls gathered their hair in a special hairstyle, stabbed her with a binho and put on a hanbok dress (usually with a green top, known as jeogori). However, there is a difference in how many girls and boys celebrated coming of age in Korea. The women's ceremony used to take place when they were 15 years old, after which they were taught everything that a woman should know. Now everyone is celebrating this day at the same age. In addition, they also visit the shrines of their ancestors to inform heaven of their maturity. The ritual was called "jirom."
