Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal

Article by Korea Supporter Nepal 2021 - Ningwa Shama Rai​

Dol or doljanchi

Dol (돌) or doljanchi (돌잔치) is a Korean tradition that celebrates the first birthday of a baby. Dol denotes that the infant has been alive for 365 days. It is an important part of Korean culture as in the past, the death rates for children were high and many children died before their first birthday, so it marks an important milestone for the baby and parents. The entire village used to celebrate the baby’s first birthday so it has been engraved in the Korean culture as an important ceremony in a person’s life.

This ceremony, which bestows a prosperous destiny on the kid, has grown in importance in Korea. A jobawi or gulle for baby girls and a bokgeon or hogeon for baby boys are worn by the birthday babies, who are dressed in hanboks and traditional hats.

The parents and family members give thanks to Samshin by serving rice, seaweed soup and rice cakes. This is the way by which they pay their gratitude and prayers to the Samshin. Samshin are the three goddesses who are considered as three grandmothers who are believed to be the goddess of childbirth. Samshin protect the children from birth to age seven after which it is believed that the diety of the Seven stars takes over.

Parents construct a special 'Dol' table for the party, where food is stacked high to indicate a prosperous life for the infant. The table is mostly prepared with a rainbow-layered rice cake, seaweed soup, and fruits. After the first birthday, Miyeok guk (seaweed soup) is offered to remind people of what their mother went through to bring them into the world.

The highlight of the dol is a custom called the doljabi (돌잡이) which is believed to foretell the child's future. The child is placed in front of a table consisting objects like string, paint, money, paint brush and so on. The child is urged to pick up an item of their choice. The item picked by the child is believed to foretell his future. For example, If the child picks up money, they will be wealthy; if he picks up a book, they are destined to be smart and so on. Parents even put personalized objects which are closer to their family.

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