Koreans believe that there are three significant dates in a person's life, which they must certainly celebrate with the whole family. This small list opens the Asyandi Children's Party. The second such event is the wedding celebration, and the third is the celebration of the 60th anniversary.
From the history of the Asyandi holiday
The Ashandi Festival is an important event for a Korean family. It is believed that a person who did not celebrate their first birthday according to a special tradition cannot perform a wedding ceremony, as well as celebrate hwangab, i.e. 60th anniversary.
Translated from the Korean language "Asyandi" means "the child's birthday.
The tradition of celebrating asyandi, the first birthday of a child, is rooted in antiquity. In those days, when medicine was not so developed, and there was not enough food, not every child lived to be one year old. Therefore, it has become a tradition to celebrate the first year of a baby's life on a large scale.
In ancient times, this day began with the offering of rice and other dishes to the child's patron spirits. Now, not all Korean families follow this procedure. The main meaning of the holiday remained - the prediction of the future for the birthday man. On the day of asyandi, you can find out what fate awaits the child, who he will become. But in order to obtain such information, you need to perform a kind of ritual.
Asyandi celebration
Korean parents approach the Ashandi celebration with great trepidation. Preparation for the event begins long before the celebration itself. On the day when the baby turns one year old, the parents of the birthday boy or birthday girl traditionally set two festive tables. The first table is set at home in the living room for the hero of the occasion, the second - for relatives, it is installed in any convenient place.
In the presence of close relatives, the child is seated at a festive table full of treats. This must be done strictly before 12 noon.
The room in which the child will receive congratulations is decorated and draped with a white cloth for this day. The kid himself is dressed up in a festive Korean national costume. Parents seat the child at the table with prepared treats. Then, according to an age-old tradition, a ritual of choosing a fate is performed.
On the table in front of the baby, if it is a boy, the following items are laid out: rice, money, a book, a dagger, a bow and arrows, paper, a pen, yarn, fruits. For girls, they put rice, a book, money, a pen, sewing accessories, an iron. The whole family, with bated breath, is waiting for the first thing to be picked up by the baby. Rice or money - to be a rich person for a kid, a brush, a pen, a book - to be a scientist for a child. If the baby's attention is attracted by fruits, then he will become a statesman, and if he chooses a bow and a dagger, he will become a military man. If a girl takes sewing supplies, she will be a craftswoman-needlewoman.
After the choice made by the birthday boy, all relatives begin to congratulate the baby, presenting money as a gift, for which parents must definitely buy something memorable for their child. The holiday continues with food and entertainment for the guests.
