Last Saturday we celebrated the babes’ first birthday. I think I’ve mentioned the first birthday is a huge to-do, it's almost on par with a wedding. In fact, there are a few important occasions in a Korean's life - the first birthday, the wedding and the 60th birthday. The first and last were celebrated because people weren't expected to make it past the first year or live that long. I know, we're a morbid bunch. The birthday party was absolutely chaotic. There was tons of food, but I only managed to get 3 bites of an egg roll. Needless to say, Mike and I were starving by the end of the night. We had about 100 people, lots of kids, family and friends. We had it at a restaurant that specializes in dols, so they knew exactly what to do. They set up the balloons, cut up the fruit, displayed the rice cakes and guided us throughout the night.
One of the highlights of the party is the toljabee (picking). We lay out several different items and have the baby pick from it. Whatever he/she picks determines what’s in store for their future. These are the items we laid out -
ITEM - MEANING
Pencil - Intelligence/Scholarly
Cash - Wealth
Thread - Long life
Rice - Prosperity
Here's a video to see what our kids chose. Let me say, the apple didn't fall far from the tree - Bree is as indecisive as her mama!
Our friend took pics of the party and she's fixing them up for us (bad lighting). As soon as I get them, I'll post some. In the meantime if you'd like to see more pics, our wonderful friend, Tonya, created a beautiful montage and has it on her blog.
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