A Korean wedding is not just a combination of two loving hearts, but a real mystery, overflowing with various traditional rites. This is a true union of two families. Very well describes the wedding traditions and the obligatory rituals that should be present at every wedding of this people, the Korean drama "Wedding". It carefully observes all the nuances of a traditional celebration. Many famous Korean dramas, such as The Great Wedding, Wedding Planner, and others, reveal in great detail all the subtleties and rituals of a traditional wedding in Korea, starting from meeting young families and ending with 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 strange and abnormal those people who are not yet married by the age of 30. Usually in Korea it is customary to be burdened by marriage at 24-27 years, this age is ideal in order to have time to achieve something in life and take care of the dowry to create a family.
If by 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 piling are very common in Korea, which 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 Koreans decided to start a family once and for all, and they perceive divorce as something out of the ordinary.
Acquaintance of 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 soul mate, with whom they plan to connect life, there is one tradition. It is called “sogathin” and implies a meeting of the parents of both newlyweds to get to know each other.
This tradition is not just an act of politeness, at such a meeting the future of the young is discussed, and what kind of participation each parent will take in it, financial wedding issues are also discussed. In addition, at such meetings, parents can exchange certificates about the physical examination of their children, since Koreans are quite serious about the birth of healthy offspring.
There is another nuance that is necessarily discussed at such meetings, this is the family origin of the future spouses - pon. Pon is a family estate that is inherited through the male line and is a kind of community association. If it turns out that the newlyweds are from the same population, they will not be able to marry, and in this case everything is canceled. If young people from different ponies, everything is in order with their health, and parents were able to agree on the organization of the wedding and the future fate of the future family, then soon they will send matchmakers to the bride.
Korean bridegroom
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, besides this, there should be no divorced people among matchmakers so that their family misfortune is not transmitted to the young.
Matchmakers should have a fun character, be able to joke, dance and sing. According to Korean traditions, being a matchmaker is a great honor. The group should arrive at the bride's parents' house to discuss the upcoming wedding and the subsequent joint life of the young spouses. Instead of matchmaking, it is very popular in Korea to organize a special mini-wedding - “chanchi”, which, in fact, is a rehearsal of the main wedding ceremony or wedding. Chenchi is a kind of test of the groom's strength, since all the guests who will be present at her are simply obliged to constantly ask the groom tricky questions and issue sharp jokes about him.
Ransom bride
Before the Korean wedding begins, the bride is ransomed. Most people consider this tradition to be truly Slavic, but in fact, Koreans also have it for a long time. Before the ransom for the groom, a rite is arranged in the father’s house in which he expresses gratitude to his parents. First, the whole family gathers at the table and tries various treats, after which the groom kneels, bows at the feet of the parents and expresses his gratitude to them.
After this, the groom with his retinue goes to the bride's house. There, he must first give the bride's mother a pair of wooden goose figurines, as these birds are a symbol of a happy family life. In addition to the mother, the bridegroom must be met by the next of kin of the bride, sister or brother, to whom he is also obliged to give gifts. And then the groom will already be able to get to the bride in the room where her father will be waiting for him. There will also have to pay a ransom, but it will be much more, but if the groom has funny and eloquent matchmakers, then it is likely that he will be able to pick up the bride for free.
Bride's visit to the groom's house
After the ransom, the bridegroom is given the bride’s dowry in the presence of the entire young retinue. Also, the bride's parents give her life parting words and tips on family life.
Every parents tries to have their children have the best Korean wedding. In the house of the bridegroom they are expecting young guests. Koreans have a wedding tradition such as a visit to the groom’s house with the bride and her dowry, which means that she is now also part of his family. On the doorstep of the house must necessarily lie a bag of rice, since rice among Koreans symbolizes a well-fed life. The bride, having arrived at the mother-in-law’s house, must step over this bag and carefully walk along the path made of silk, which is specially laid before her arrival. This path is a symbol of wealth and affluence.
A mirror must be included in the bride’s dowry, since 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 her mother-in-law has accepted her, the girl’s dowry can also be entered.
Korean Wedding Venue
As a venue for the solemn part, the bride's house is usually chosen. Both newlyweds should be in traditional wedding dresses - hanbok. The bride must wear a short vest with long sleeves on her hanbok, and the groom's hanbok, according to tradition, should be blue. Also, special red dots are glued to the bride’s face, one on the cheeks and one on the forehead. A ceremonial venue is equipped in the courtyard of the house, where the young people get separately on special gamma wedding niches, which are traditionally decorated with flowers, preferably peonies, as a symbol of health and a happy life together. After the marriage is officially concluded, the young people bow low to each other and drink wine from glasses, which the bride’s mother herself must make from pumpkins grown in her garden.
Features and traditions at the wedding
The main feature of the Korean wedding is that the newlyweds do not kiss on it at all, as this is not only not accepted in the country, but also strictly prohibited by law. A kiss is usually replaced by eating one date or marmalade at a time. Also, according to Korean wedding etiquette, during the wedding ceremony, without exception, all guests should be in 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, not always even familiar with each other, is considered an indicator of wealth and luxury. Despite the large number of obligatory wedding ceremonies, a 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
The wedding banquet at the Korean wedding at the present time is not much different from the banquet at weddings of the European format. Many traditions, unfortunately, have been overlooked over many decades. Many Korean celebrity weddings are entirely European in character with a standard away ceremony and a banquet in the style of a buffet, the whole event is very modest and reserved. Many newlyweds like to invite famous musicians to their wedding for a pleasant musical accompaniment of the celebration. Since there is no entertainment program habitual for our people at the banquet, the Korean wedding does not include a host too. Usually it is replaced by close relatives or parents of young people who themselves can sing, dance or show various funny miniatures to guests.
As for the menu and dishes that must be present at the wedding table with Koreans, we can distinguish several mandatory dishes: these are noodles and rooster. The presence of noodles is necessary, because it is a symbol of the long life of the newlyweds. In the beak of the bird, they usually insert a whole red chili pepper, decorated with multi-colored threads and shiny tinsel, since pepper according to Korean beliefs protects against evil spirits, colorful tinsel is a symbol of the vibrant life of future spouses.
A rooster at a Korean wedding must be boiled whole, it is also whole and served at the table. Also, many banquets present such traditional dishes as ttok, bulgogs and calbi. However, lately, the availability of European dishes at Korean wedding tables has become increasingly visible.
After wedding
According to tradition, the day after the Korean wedding ended, 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 should carefully clean the entire 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 at lunchtime close relatives and parents come to visit the newlyweds from the groom's side to see which of the brides turned out to be the mistress. The young wife, in turn, is obliged to present gifts to each of the guests, which her parents must prepare in advance.
What do young people get at a wedding in Korea?
In the modern world, a Korean wedding, the traditions and customs of which have existed for more than a century, is increasingly beginning to adopt European trends. This was reflected in the gifts that are customary to give young people a wedding. Today, the newlyweds at the wedding decided to give an envelope with money, the amount will depend on how respectfully the guest treats the young, and how pleased he is with their union.
Since over the past several decades, traditions have begun to fade into the background, and material values have come to the fore, it’s quite difficult to say that it’s just besides money that you can give young people at a Korean wedding. Parents of the groom should usually give the young spouses an apartment or a house where they can live as a separate family, and the parents of the bride should completely equip this house or apartment. Also, close relatives of a young couple can make gifts that are useful to newlyweds in everyday life: watches, dishes, etc.