“Not the man who was born a man, but the one who became a man”
"Hwangab" — 60th anniversary
In this section...
— The first summing up of life.
— Second summing up of life.
— When can’t you celebrate an anniversary?
— Beginning of the anniversary "hwangab".
— Bows to the hero of the day.
— Completion of the anniversary "hwangab".
Who were we before them:
Your parents?
Sand in the desert
Road dust...
So let's reward them
To your parents,
Praise for everything, for everything...
Because they exist
And for having lived life,
They created another life...
Pumodyri, orya, orya saseyo!!!
In the life of every Korean there is a date that he hopes to live until. This is a celebration "hwangab"- one of the most important ceremonies in the life of the Korean people is the 60th birthday anniversary.
So, long (or short) 60 years are behind us, hopefully lived happily, and now the children are asking your permission to celebrate their anniversary. According to ancient custom, it is customary among Koreans that only the children of the hero of the day have the right to celebrate the anniversary. You can often hear about four tables that should be in the life of every Korean. The first table is set on the anniversary of the birth, the second on the wedding day, the third on the anniversary and the fourth table on the funeral. Each of us wants the fourth table to be set in your honor as late as possible.
Children can be adopted if there are no children of their own. It is believed that if there are no children, then “hwangab” cannot be celebrated!!! This, if you like, is a warning to those who have not yet married and thereby violate the laws of Heaven and ancient customs.
The first summing up of life
"Hwangab" Koreans consider it the first summing up of life, because the first full zodiac cycle has been completed eastern calendar. Each zodiac cycle lasts 12 years, and there are 5 in total.
The second full cycle ends at 120 years. Looking at the figure, you involuntarily remember the life expectancy allotted to people in the Bible. As you know, the idea was expressed there that a person should live 120 years, no less. It’s strange how often the numbers of completely different peoples and religions coincide.
The third zodiacal cycle ends at 180 years, etc. After all, a person can live a very long time before Heaven calls. In the mythologies of every nation there are examples of centenarians who lived for several hundred, or even thousands of years. From the Bible we know that Adam lived 920 years, his son Seth lived 912 years, Seth's son Enos lived 905 years, Enos' son Cainan lived 910 years, Cainan's son Maleleel lived 895 years, etc. [Genesis, chapter 5, page 5].
What shortens our life? The reasons are known to almost every living person - envy, anger, resentment, hatred. Defeat them and live 120 years!
Koreans celebrate their 60th birthday in a particularly grand manner. On this day, all the relatives of the hero of the day come. At the age of 60, every Korean takes stock of the years he has lived and begins to report on the circle of life, the second zodiac cycle according to lunar calendar. And remember, ignoring"hwangab" is often perceived by family members of the hero of the day as a blood grievance. The hero of the day (sha) asks himself the following questions on this day::
- Did you live correctly?
- Did he (her) do everything that was in his (her) power for children, family, relatives, society, country, humanity?
— Did you offend anyone during your lifetime undeservedly?
—Are there any debts that must be repaid during one’s lifetime so that one’s descendants do not have to pay for them?
— Will descendants remember it with a good word?
The second anniversary is celebrated at 70 years. And it is called “kohi” (rare, ancient). He usually celebrates it in less grandeur than his 60th birthday. "Hwangab" most important holiday in the life of every Korean. Previously, it was celebrated very magnificently, because rarely did anyone live to this age. Nowadays, some people at this age are just starting to live and instead of celebrating their anniversary, they go to travel around the world. Today, 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 are also considered anniversaries. And they are celebrated as magnificently as the 60th anniversary. These are new changes in customs. If a person has lived for so many years, he deserves all the respect and admiration from people.
I saw Kim Tatyana (born 1895) from the family "Gimhae - @t", who lived 107 years. The key to her longevity, as her son Gregory Tsoi (born 1918) said, was moderation in food, she did not scold anyone, did not speak badly about anyone, was sincere and honest with herself, with others and, most importantly, I worked for children, for people. Remember, a person lives as long as the people close to him and Heaven want and allow. Now ask yourself very sensitive question: “What should I do to make my loved ones want my longevity?” The answer is simple: you just need to respect and love them and not do evil. As the sages said: “never make someone a friend if you don’t want them to do the same to you.”
Let's remember this simple wisdom, maybe then life will become at least a little better.
Second life review
At the age of 120, in the year when the second zodiac cycle according to the eastern calendar ends, the second result of life is summed up. People who reach this age become role models for everyone living in this world. The very fact of reaching 120 years is an excellent result of a person’s entire life. Or do you disagree with me? Love yourself, people, and you will live just as long, or maybe longer!
It seems to me that people who live to this age are exceptionally kind, sympathetic, and infinitely loving all living things on this earth. An example for us, Koreans, is Tatyana Kim, about whom I wrote a little higher, for whom all this was not just words. Try not to cause pain and suffering to your loved ones, and if you made a mistake in something, after analyzing the situation, correct it during your lifetime. The time will come (will it come?) when a person will live forever, but the whole question will be: is it worth it?
When can't you celebrate an anniversary?
According to old Korean customs, there are, however, conditions under which one cannot celebrate a 60th anniversary. Of course, these conditions also apply to subsequent anniversary dates: 70, 80, 90, 100, 120 years. In what cases is it impossible to celebrate an anniversary according to Korean customs? "hwangab"?
These are the conditions:
If you have not had a wedding or have no children, then you “cannot” celebrate “hwangab”. Therefore, it must be celebrated before reaching the anniversary age of 60 years.
If you do not have children, then you must take at least one child into care. Why? Because holding "hwangab"- the duty and responsibility of children!!! As is customary, they don’t celebrate their own anniversary. Of course, you can celebrate your 60th birthday, but no one will bow to you.
When your parents didn't celebrate theirs "hwangab".
Of course, you can celebrate your anniversary by violating the laws of Heaven, but then don’t be surprised when you or your children and descendants have problems in life, in health, in business. We are all connected in the endless spiral of life, and nothing passes without a trace.“We are all connected energetically into one,” which is why childless Koreans have always taken in raising children, because everyone wants to go to Heaven after life on earth. The question arises, what needs to be done to celebrate the anniversary? Can your children celebrate an anniversary in the future?
if your parents died, died for reasons that did not depend on you, then you can tell yourself "hwangab";
if your parents themselves refused to celebrate their anniversary and your relatives know about this, then in this case, you can celebrate for yourself "hwangab";
It’s impossible only in one case, if you could celebrate their anniversary, but didn’t for reasons that depended on you. For example, due to lack of money, this is not considered a mitigating circumstance. In this case, you cannot celebrate your anniversary. Your children can, because... nothing depended on them. In this case, you, of course, can celebrate your 60th birthday, but without performing ritual bows "take it".
So, nothing and no one is stopping you from celebrating"hwangab" . You have wonderful children, of whom not only you are proud, but also your family. According to old Korean customs, their children are obliged to celebrate their parents’ anniversary, i.e. They bear all the expenses and hassle of celebrating the anniversary. This is the duty of children, failure to fulfill which brings shame on them, their children, their children’s children, etc. to the seventh generation.
Therefore, Koreans do everything to fulfill their filial duty to their parents, so as not to be disgraced. There was no greater praise in Korea than being a dutiful son. Even if modestly, children are obliged to celebrate their parents’ anniversary. If they do not do this, then they lose the right to celebrate their "hwangab" and respect from family and people! What could be worse?
If something interferes with the anniversary, then you can simply celebrate the 60th anniversary without anniversary ceremonies, like an ordinary round date. In this case, relatives do not make traditional deep bows.
Beginning of the anniversary "Hwangab"
Just as a theater begins with a hanger, so any anniversary begins with the choice of place, date of the anniversary and invitation of guests. Because what is an anniversary without guests? How to properly invite guests is described in section 7.3. " Pakil- 100 days from the date of birth.”
A beautiful invitation will make the event more unique and wonderful in its own way. The only thing I would like to add is that a photo of the hero or heroes of the day should be placed on the invitation card. The ticket should be so beautiful that you want to keep it for life! Order the production of invitation cards to professionals.
— select the day, place and time of the event "hwangab";
— produce and send invitation cards to relatives, friends, work colleagues, and then check personally whether they received the invitations;
- make a list of the birthday boy(s) ( "dongyabidir"), who will sit next to him (and) at the anniversary table and prepare special expensive gifts for them. Usually there are no more than 3 people. Among them they choose the main friend of the same age "dongabi", he will be next to him on the right. This is the most honorable place at the anniversary;
- invite a good presenter (toastmaster), musical ensemble and cameraman for video filming. The wedding toastmaster is able to make the anniversary celebration an unforgettable event, or maybe..., but let’s not talk about sad things...;
- sew a costume for the hero of the day, preferably a Korean one national clothes. If not, you can wear European clothes;
- make a list of relatives who will be called to bow according to the degree of relationship and seniority;
- be sure to appoint someone responsible for filling the glasses with vodka at the table of the hero of the day.
Bows to the hero of the day
At the beginning of the anniversary evening, the toastmaster calls in turn the peers of the hero of the day and the guests of honor, calling their names according to a pre-compiled list. To perform bows, a carpet is laid in front of the table of the hero of the day. When they sit down behind him, the toastmaster begins to call children and relatives, who, after traditional deep bows, congratulate the hero of the day.
If the parents of the hero of the day (s) are alive, the hero of the day first bows to them, only then sits down at his table. Peers and guests of honor, older people may not bow.
When performing bows, it is necessary to take into account the number of heroes of the day. If there is only one hero of the day, then they make only one bow. If there are two heroes of the day, then they bow to each, i.e. two. In this case, usually the people making bows change places. Just remember: the living always make one bow.
Before calling people to bows, the biography of the hero of the day is read out. A small table is placed in front of the table of the hero of the day, where there is a bottle of vodka, from which glasses are filled for the speaking people with toasts and congratulations.
The call to bow is carried out in a certain sequence:
Sons in descending order of age;
Daughters in descending order of age;
Brothers and sisters of the hero of the day;
Cousins, etc.;
If one of them has a family, they go out with children. The order approved by the ancestors here is as follows: first, the direct descendants of the birthday person give bows, then along the side branch.
Everyone called to bow follows the following procedure:
— A specially selected relative presents a glass of vodka to everyone leaving;
— Then the invitees perform one bow to the hero of the day or two bows if there are two heroes of the day.
— After bowing, congratulations are said in honor of the hero of the day. Congratulations can be in the form of a toast, a song, a poem, or a dance.
Usually, all speakers end their speech with the words: “$ $ ќ8″! “Ore ore saseyo!” or "$$I<Мэ$! — Орэ орэ анчжысипсио!«. Это переводится как — « Live long and long!” or« live forever» . His peers are sitting next to the hero of the day -« dongyabidir" and honored guests. No more than 25-30 minutes are allotted for congratulating the hero of the day, because... if it lasts longer, then the guests begin to get bored. It is usually not recommended to eat or drink at this time. This would be a sign of disrespect for the hero of the day. However, recently, more and more often, guests are invited to taste it during congratulations. All guests should listen carefully to people's congratulations. After all, you came to pay tribute to the hero of the day, not the food. Only after everyone has congratulated the toastmaster or the hero of the day himself, he invites everyone to the feast. From this moment you can eat, drink, the anniversary begins.
After 25-30 minutes, the toastmaster again takes control into his own hands and leads him further according to his program, drawn up either by himself or by the children of the hero of the day. An anniversary party usually lasts from 17.00 to 23.00 if it is held in a cafe or restaurant. If the anniversary is celebrated in a private house, as we say"tai dibi" then until the last guest leaves .
After the official completion of the anniversary, guests of honor, peers (« dongyabidir» ) memorable, beautifully decorated, anniversary gifts are presented. These gifts are prepared in advance, according to a specific list!!!
A gift for peers and honored guests usually includes:
- a bottle of cognac or vodka;
- a box or bar of chocolate;
- cookies, sweets;
- apple, tangerine, orange, pomegranate (depending on the time of year), etc.
These gifts are displayed in front of the table of the hero of the day for everyone to see. Before the end of the anniversary evening, they are distributed to peers and honored guests. But now the anniversary evening is over. The hero of the day is wished long life, health and to celebrate his 70th anniversary - “Yul - kohi”, and then the 120th anniversary - the completion of the second zodiac cycle).
If the anniversary is celebrated at home, then after 22.00 the hero of the day retires to rest, and the guests have fun as long as they have enough strength. If the anniversary is celebrated in a restaurant or cafe, then the hero of the day is usually with the guests until the end of the anniversary evening.
In the past, at weddings, Koreans tried to show off the art of poetry and song composition. Without wanting to impose anything on you, I would still advise that when going to your anniversary, prepare a poem, a song and surprise your friends with another facet of your unique and unique “I”. Otherwise, why does a person live?
Completion of the anniversary"Hwangab"
At the end of the anniversary, the children of the hero of the day should take care to send gifts to all relatives who have old people at home and were unable to come. This is an old Korean custom and I really like it. Stock up on packages in advance and make a list of families to whom you need to send treats from the table of the hero of the day. According to an old legend, anyone who tastes food from the table of the hero of the day will live an equally long life. For example, as a child, when my parents went away for anniversaries, I always looked forward to their return. Guess why?
I was repeatedly asked: “If I didn’t celebrate my anniversary at 60 years old, then in what years can I celebrate it later: even or odd?” The answer is: “Any one you deem necessary: 61, 62, 63, 64...69.”
Many people have a question about what to do with the anniversary if the parents died early, without having time to celebrate “hwangab”? In this case, every year the children must go to the cemetery and celebrate his (her) birthday and, upon coming home, celebrate it with close relatives. In the anniversary year of the 60th anniversary, they also celebrate their birthday in the cemetery, but unlike previous years this is done solemnly and magnificently with the invitation of guests. If not on such days to show your filial piety, then when? Arriving home, they set the richly and luxuriously decorated anniversary table of the hero of the day with his photograph. Traditional deep bows are made in front of a table with a photograph.
If it is impossible to celebrate a birthday in a cemetery (due to frequent migration in recent years, many have found themselves cut off from the graves of their parents and ancestors), this is done in front of a memorial table with a photograph.
There is also a peculiarity in such cases: the absence of toasts and fun. Instead, talk about what they loved, what they were like. And seeing such an attitude, their souls will rejoice in heaven.
“The human soul does not age”
"Kokhi" — 70th anniversary
In this section...
— When and why you can’t celebrate an anniversary.
— Anniversary celebration "kohi".
— Completion of the anniversary "kohi".
— Answers to questions of interest.
"Kokhi" - The 70th anniversary is usually celebrated less pompously and solemnly than the 60th anniversary ( "hwangab"). "Kokhi" translated as “ancient, rare.” Koreans singled out this date because few of them previously lived to this age. It is usually held in the circle of close relatives. On this day, delicious national dishes are prepared. Everyone wishes the hero of the day long life and health. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren prepare songs and dances. The main ceremonies for the 70th anniversary are the same as for the 60th anniversary.
It is customary among Koreans that only children have the right to celebrate their anniversary. They can be adopted if they do not have children of their own, see also section 7.18. "Forgotten customs and rituals." If there are no children, then the anniversary fails! It turns out that they didn’t seem to deserve it. Therefore, the Koreans of Russia and the CIS countries, observing the traditions and customs of their ancestors, were sure to take their son in for upbringing in this case. According to Korean customs, mourning and memorial rites can be performed by the son. No, of course, you can celebrate your 70th birthday, but without the traditional bows. Today, 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 are considered anniversaries. And they are celebrated as magnificently as« hwangab» .
If you think that this is not so, then live to see these years! If a person has lived for so many years, he already deserves all respect and admiration. Or do you disagree with this?!
When and why can’t you celebrate an anniversary?
According to ancient Korean customs, there is a condition under which you cannot celebrate a 70-year anniversary. What is this condition? Here it is: if you fail"hwangab", then you cannot celebrate the Kokha anniversary. Honestly, I don't know where this limitation comes from. But there is a logical explanation for this: if a person is not married, then he is considered a child; if there is no son, then the funeral rites will not be performed, and, probably, if he did not celebrate his 60th birthday, then he cannot celebrate his 70th birthday. An acquaintance of mine, a professor from Seoul, Kim Seungwoo, once told me that today some people in Korea no longer celebrate their 60th birthday. When they reach this age, they travel the world if funds allow. We see how traditions are changing before our eyes.
You can celebrate your 70th birthday, but no one will give you the traditional anniversary bows. Just like an anniversary"hwangab» , anniversary"kohi" their children are obliged to celebrate, i.e. They bear all the expenses and hassle of celebrating the anniversary. This is the duty of children, failure to fulfill which brings shame upon them. Therefore, Koreans do everything to fulfill their duty to their parents. Even if modestly, children are obliged to celebrate their parents’ anniversary. If something interferes with the celebration of the Kokha anniversary, then they simply celebrate the 70th anniversary without anniversary ceremonies, as an ordinary round date. There have been cases when children, having celebrated their parents’ anniversary, then spent several years paying off their debts.
How can one live such a long life? One of the recipes for longevity is given to us by a resident of Uzbekistan, Tatyana Kim, a 107-year-old Korean woman from the Yik-Ota collective farm (formerly “Leninsky Path”), Tashkent region. I give a brief description of the biography from the words of her son Tsoi Gregory, because she deserved for the world to know about her.
106 years!!! Probably, the little girl Kim Tanya from the clan “@t - Kimhae” (her Korean name has not survived), born on February 17, 1895 (according to the lunar calendar) in the village of Zarechenskoye, Posyetsky district of the Primorsky Territory of the Far East, did not suspect that she would live 106 years . She survived the fall of Tsarist Russia, the deportation of 1937, the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Gorbachev's perestroika and ended up in the independent republic of Uzbekistan.
At the age of 20, she was married to Vasily Choi from the Kenzhu clan, who died in 1932. She raised 6 children: 5 sons and a daughter. In 1916, she gave birth to her first son, Innokenty; in 1918, her second son, Grigory, was born (with whom she now lives), son Pavel, daughter Elizabeth, and sons Mark and Alexey. She has more than 25 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
In 1928 she worked in the TOS (village partnership association). It was a difficult time, hungry. Together with the villagers, she grew beans and sold them to the area, which was located 25 km from the village. In the morning I loaded sacks of beans and transported them on ox sleds to the area. This sometimes took the entire daylight hours. Often, if there were no loaders, she had to load and unload 50 kilogram bags of beans herself. But she never complained about difficulties. After the death of Vasily’s husband, it became even harder, especially since the last son, Alexey, was born after the death of her husband. She never remarried. She worked day and night to save children from hunger. I caught snakes in the evenings and dug potatoes in my fellow villagers’ gardens after harvesting.
In 1937, after deportation to Uzbekistan, she worked in the rice fields of the collective farm named after. Rakhmatova, Sredne-Chirchik district, Tashkent region and rose to the position of foreman of a rice-growing brigade. Now she lives with her second son Grigory (84 years old), who takes care of her along with her daughter Irina, who lives nearby.
It is necessary to dwell in more detail on the fate of her son Gregory. At the age of 7, he was sent to the house of his eldest uncle in order to become their son, because... he had no sons of his own. Koreans have a belief that if you take in your brother's son, your wife will give birth to a boy. Well, if he doesn’t give birth, then the adopted boy will remain his son. In addition, according to tradition, it is customary that in old age one should live with one’s son. Two years later, indeed, his uncle’s wife gave birth to a son, and he returned Gregory back to his former family.
During these two years of staying in his uncle's family, Gregory studied more than 1000 hieroglyphs. The Chinese teacher was strict: for poor studies he mercilessly beat him with rods. Today Tsoi Grigory Vasilievich is one of the few who writes mourning inscriptions ( "myeongjeong") in Chinese.
According to her son Gregory, in addition to her hard work, she was very moderate in food, took everything that happened calmly, never quarreled with anyone and never spoke badly about anyone. Here it is - one of the recipes for longevity! She believed that life itself would put everything in its place.
To live at least 100 years, you don’t have to live in the Caucasus, breathe mountain air and drink spring water. Unfortunately, in March 2002, she passed away. Having lived 107 years!!!
All her life, Kim Tatyana worked tirelessly. Working for workday sticks, she did not take care of her pension at one time, there was no time for that. My late grandmother Son Xiang Geum said about such people: “They sweep the garden with a broom.” People like Tatyana Kim are the pride of our people. And I wanted to tell the reader, before going to a nutritionist and other “experts” who offer various unique and miraculous “recipes” for longevity, read the biography of this amazing woman again. I don’t know what thoughts arose when you read this biography; After meeting this woman, my views on life and attitude towards people changed.
Anniversary celebration"kohi"
Anniversary celebration "kohi" no different from an anniversary "hwangab", see section 7.10. "Hwangab - 60th birth anniversary." Celebrated less grandly than a 60th birthday. Now that many Koreans live to be 80 or more years old, turning 60 no longer seems like such a big deal, although in keeping with tradition, it is still widely celebrated. The Koreans of the CIS currently, having not reached their 60th anniversary, began to widely celebrate the 50th anniversary. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that many of them do not live to see the anniversary.
Completion of the anniversary"kohi"
At the end of the anniversary, the children of the hero of the day should take care to send gifts to all relatives whose parents remained at home and were unable to come. This is an old Korean custom. To do this, you need to make a list of families in advance to whom you need to send treats from the table of the hero of the day.
According to an old legend, it is believed that children who eat treats from the table of the hero of the day will live at least this age. However, the recipe for longevity described above shows us what we need to do to live a long life: do not envy anyone, do not be offended by anyone, work honestly. If only it were that simple, wouldn't it?
Book: Customs and rituals of Koreans in Russia and the CIS
Happy birthday greetings in Korean can become the “zest” that the festive evening was so lacking. And it doesn’t matter at all whether you yourself are of Korean blood, whether you congratulate a Korean or a person learning this language. Such words will always be relevant and interesting. And both for the guests and the birthday boy, and for you.
Naturally, without proper linguistic skills and knowledge, you will not be able to properly express your wishes. But you can try. If the occasion allows, then why not? Unless these are serious congratulatory words for a serious person. For example, the boss. In this situation, it is better to present a beautiful card on which your wishes will be written.
The most difficult thing here is not the submission, but the search itself. After all, there aren't many Korean greetings on the internet these days. But we managed to find a few, and now we are glad to offer them to your attention. Every greeting you find in this section has been personally reviewed by Vlio editors. These are relevant, pleasant and beautiful congratulatory words that can give the hero of the occasion a lot of unforgettable impressions!
Happy Birthday, I wish you always be happy, healthy and many more days that will give you smiles.
생일 축하해! 언제나 행복하고, 건강하고, 오래오래 웃음지을 날이 많기를 바라.
Today is a special day - your birthday, may all your days be happy and joyful.
오늘은 특별한 너의 생일날, 행복하고 항상 웃는 하루 보내길 바라.
