06/21/2023
Traditional Korean first birthdays are rooted in the 1800’s. Korea was a very under developed country back then and the lack of access to medical care made made infant mortality really high.
So, when a baby made it to his or her first birthday, it was a HUGE mile stone, so the whole village came together to celebrate.
Families would fill the main birthday table with fruit, rice cakes, and items that symbolized longevity and ward off evil (a ball of string and dates, respectively).
Our modern table looks super different now but we still pay homage to these traditions!