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Post by ArdenJoy on Jul 16, 2003 13:51:25 GMT -5
Does anyone know the significance of the wedding chest? Where did that tradition come from?  |
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candy
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Posts: 31
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Post by candy on Jul 17, 2003 12:15:23 GMT -5
::)yeah i had that same question, and i was wondering do people in korean still do that, i mean since sometimes what we see on tv is not exactly the same way things are, although in all the dramas i've seen they always take the wedding chest to the bride's house so i guess they still do it. speaking of that do you really have to buy the bride jewels?  |
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Post by JadeEyes on Jul 17, 2003 23:13:21 GMT -5
I'm sure a great many of these customs and traditions surrounding weddings, etc. are observed regularly by modern Koreans...including the delivery of the bridal chest.
Afterall, marriage and weddings in our culture have a multitude of common rituals that are closely observed throughout the society, among all classes...and no doubt seem equally strange of foreign to contemporary Koreans as what we've seen on YH the last couple of weeks do to us.
I too wondered about the bridal chest, among other things, such as the fabric frame Mi-ryung seemed to hide behind and duck up and down behind, as well as the small screen Tae-young held before him as he approached the alter.
Jade Eyes
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Post by JadeEyes on Jul 19, 2003 1:29:07 GMT -5
Well, I found out about the wedding chest. I got a book from the library on Korean culture, customs and traditions.
The wedding chest--or "hahm" as its known--dates back to the earliest traditions of Korean marriage, but the book says, more and more, the custom is being done away w/ in modern Korea. However, it is still common enough, the book says, that if you're visiting Korea for at least a few months, you are quite likely to witness the practice take place somewhere.
It is traditional for the bride's family and the groom's to exchange gifts before the wedding, the two families assigned their own special purchasing requirements. The bride's family is to buy a suit for the groom and each male famiy member of his. As Tae-young is the only male in his family, Mi-ryung's parents got off pretty light. The bride's family is also supposed to provide a full outfit for each female member of the groom's family, but the book said this is sometimes worked in as part of the bride's dowry, just as we saw on YH. Families of more meager circumstances will whittle the process down to whatever level they can manage.
The groom's family is to provide certain small gifts for the bride's family, which may also include various items of clothing, but also the bride's wedding clothes and her makeup and a gift of jewelry for her. All such items are packed into the "hahm" or wooden box and are carried to her house at a pre-arranged time shortly before the wedding. As Grandma Wey said, the preferred choice of transporter is a married male friend of the groom--preferrably one w/ a son. If no such friend is available, the friend of largest physical stature is drafted to serve as "horse" -- even walking like a horse and pawing his foot on the ground every so often. Another friend goes along, walking in front to lead the "horse" and serve as bargainer, because afterall, horses don't talk. I'm not making this up!
Usually all or many of the groom's male friends will follow along. It's not uncommon for them to have a few belts before they depart, or even stop along the way for a drink or two. When they arrive at the bride's house, the negotiator is supposed to go to the door, knock and announce the arrival of the hahm and try to negotiate the best price he can command for its delivery. Designated members of the bride's family--usually the mother and/or other older females will take on the task. Traditionally, the negotiator will try to haggle a fee for every step the "horse" takes from thereon, w/ the other friends heckling from the background. This is a very light-hearted and jovial process, w/ a great deal of laughing and exaggerated theatrics for fun on both sides. The negotiator may even threaten to turn the "horse" around and take the hahm back if he deems the fee offered is too low, w/ more heckling from bystanders in both parties.
Usually, a sumptuous feast is prepared and ready when the "hahm" entourage arrives, and after the haggling is resolved and the chest set down in the bride's home, the groom and his friends are invited to stay. The bride may also have many of her extended family and even friends there to join them. Usually more drinking goes on, as well as laughter and good cheer for the bride and groom. The delivery fee, once paid, is given to the negotiator, who gives the groom half of what he's collected, and divides the other half among the rest of the groom's friends, whereupon they go to a bar or nightclub for more drinking, and possibly dancing (if at a nightclub or disco). Sometimes friends and/or male family members of the bride's may join them, though that is only in more recent years.
Traditional weddings, such as TY and MR had, are not very common today. But it's true those are held in either private homes, or in a natural setting, such as a public or private garden, or a park. The bright dots on the bride's cheeks are there to "distract" and draw away any evil spirits that might be lurking around, which presumably is the same purpose the screen like the one Tae-young was carrying serves. In traditional ceremonies, the groom may instead carry a large, carved wooden duck, supposedly a good omen for insuring many children---w/ many male children an especially hoped-for blessing.
Just as we saw on YH today, it's traditional for the bride and groom to spend the first night back from their honeymoon in the bride's home. In days of yore, this was always a somber event, as it most often marked the bride leaving her family for good---possibly never to see them again, or to visit only infrequently. Today, that is no longer the custom, as Grandma Wey pointed out w/ relief as she instructed the returning newlyweds in tonight's ep.
Jade Eyes
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Post by Soju on Jul 19, 2003 8:41:22 GMT -5
Very interesting; thanks for the research. Did the book say anything about why the Bride and Groom always wear gloves at a modern wedding? Even Mi-ryung's Mom confessed she didn't know why they were doing it. |
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Post by JadeEyes on Jul 19, 2003 10:38:43 GMT -5
No, I couldn't find anything about the gloves, but I did come across one other little item I forgot to mention:
Jeju, or Chechu, Island where TY and MR honeymooned, is named as the top honeymoon destination of Korean newlyweds. I have to say it sure does look fabulous--although my husband was less impressed. He said it looked to him like the Wisconsin Dells of Korea.
Jade Eyes
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