The Future-Telling Ability of Doljabi: A Korean Birthday Tradition

If you're a big fan of Korean Culture, or maybe you're just starting to get into it, you might realize something: Age is an important concept in South Korea. It plays a big part in the way their conversations happen (the words "oppa" and "hyung" for older men, and "noona" and "unnie" for women) or just how it's common to ask for the year someone was born as soon as you meet.

But what are the most essential ages in Korean culture? The 60th and the first—in terms of celebrations, they're known as the Hwangap (환갑) and the Doljanchi (돌잔치).

In our K-Culture article of the day, we're diving into the most crucial part of Korean first birthdays or Doljanchi: Doljabi (돌잡이), an important tradition in every Korean's life.

Doljabi is an important tradition of a Korean's first birthday that happens towards the end of the Doljanchi celebration.

The one-year-old baby is placed in front of various objects or items. Then, the baby is encouraged to grab one or two items from the things in front of them. Each object symbolizes either a career path or a fortune.

But why is the child's first birthday celebrated in such a grand manner? Its history runs deep into the 18th century.
 

Before Korea became a developed country with its advanced healthcare system, infants often fell victim to disease and starvation. Korea's history with child mortality was alarming; even in the 1950s, the infant mortality rate was 26 percent.

The completion of the child's first year was then deemed necessary to celebrate as it marked a significant milestone in their lives–that they have lived long enough. The whole village would come together to celebrate a baby's first birthday, sharing food and wishing for a long life and fortune.

One way to wish good fortune to the child was for them to celebrate and witness the Doljabi all together.
 

Although the Doljabi tradition is still kept in modern-day Doljanchi, some objects and meanings they carry have changed over the years.

What was placed in front of the baby were the following objects: money, thread, rice, pen or brush, and a bow and arrow.

If the baby chooses the money, it means they will grow up wealthy. If the baby picks rice, it means that the baby will live a life of plenty. If the baby chooses thread, it would mean they will live a long life.
 

For the occupations that the baby will grow into, if they choose pen or brush, it means that they will grow up to become a writer or a scholar. If the baby, especially men, selects the bow and arrow, it means that they will have a career in being part of the military.

While some of the traditional objects and their meanings have stayed the same, many people have added more modern objects to reflect more occupations. The contemporary objects are: microphone, stethoscope, gavel, computer mouse, golf ball, or baseball.

If the baby chooses a microphone, it means that they will grow up to be an entertainer, singer, or even an idol. Once the baby selects the stethoscope, it means that they will be a doctor. If the gavel is chosen, the notion is that the baby will become a lawyer, judge, or have a career in law.

If the computer mouse is chosen, it means that the baby will grow up to be a computer engineer or the child will have a career in technology. And when the baby prefers a golf ball or baseball, it means that they will become an athlete.

There are many more objects you can add than just what we listed above, so if you're planning your child's Doljabi or helping your friend by planning theirs, feel free to think outside the box when presenting your child with objects.

Check out our BT21 collection for things you can definitely add to your birthday celebrations.

It's important to note that the Doljabi is only one part of the entire celebration. Doljanchi is the celebration as a whole, while Doljabi is the tradition wherein the baby chooses the object that symbolizes their future.

Doljanchi is a celebration that lasts for two (2) hours. With its guests ranging from eight (8) to 50, it's up to the celebrant's family on who to invite.

If the aim is to have a small gathering, the immediate family, siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, are great to have. For larger groups, the celebrant's parents invite extended family members, coworkers, and acquaintances.

The venue will then depend on the number of guests the parents plan to invite: they can offer their house as a venue for immediate family or rent a hall for the larger gathering.

From the word "Dol," meaning "first birthday," and "sang," meaning "table," it is vital to set up the Dolsang before any guests arrive on the day of the celebration. Most Koreans place fruits, rice cakes, and a cake on one round table, while the Doljabi kit sits on the other table. 

Now that the guests and venue have been decided, the next step would happen on the day of the celebration. Parents, with the celebrant, welcome the guests as they arrive. It's a tradition for them to wear either hanbok or formal clothes such as dresses or suits.

Once the guests are in the venue, they will be greeted by each of the Doljabi objects on a table. They will take on something like a raffle ticket, tear it, and then place half of the ticket in the bowl they think the baby will choose.

The meals usually happen buffet-style for a larger group of guests, while smaller groups have course meals.

The important food served during this occasion are rice cakes (떡) and seaweed soup (미역국).

The different rice cakes being served have different meanings–and these must be served during the celebration. The white rice cakes called baeksugi represent the pure and sacred start of life, while the red soosoo patteok is necessary to ward off evil from entering the baby's life.

The seaweed soup being served is a reminder of what the celebrant's mother has gone through during their pregnancy. This kind of soup is usually given to mothers in their postpartum journey as it's said to cleanse their bodies and restore the nutrients they have lost from giving birth.

After the meal, it's time to light the candles and sing a happy birthday to the celebrant.

During the highlight of the celebration, everyone in the room cheers for the baby to grab an object by yelling out "Jabara" (잡아라), which means "to grab."

After the Doljabi has ended, the celebrant's parents will choose one person who voted for the winning object when they arrived and give them a prize. A typical reward for this is a department store gift card.

Once the celebration has ended, the parents bid the guests farewell by handing them gifts on their way out.

Whether the Doljabi and Doljanchi are something you've already heard of in the past, it's still interesting to take a deep dive into this culture and tradition. From its history all the way to its modern twists, it's undoubtedly a unique experience for all Korean first birthday celebrants to undergo and witness with their families.
 

What part of the tradition did you find interesting? Are you inspired to have your own Doljabi or Doljanchi too?