Incorporating Korean Culture

Another question asked in my Question and Answer post was what we do to incorporate Korean culture into our family. (Becky, I'm not sure that you will get much out of this answer because it's probably no different than what you guys do/have done.)

One of the first things we did was celebrate Riley's first birthday with a Tol ceremony. There are four main parts to the Tol: praying and giving thanks, making and wearing the birthday clothes, preparing the table and performing the Toljabee, and sharing the food with guests and neighbors.

We had our families and a few close friends over for Riley's tol. The first thing we did was have a time of blessing for him (praying and giving thanks). We invited people to speak blessings over him through prayers and/or Scripture readings. Riley wore his hanbok (making and wearing the birthday clothes) that his foster mom had sent home with him.



Next, we performed the Toljabee. During the Toljabee a child sits at a table where the parents have placed a variety of items. The child then chooses an item or items that they are attracted to. The child's future is supposedly predicted by the items they choose. Riley chose scissors (talented with his hands) and a knife (a good cook).



Another thing we do to incorporate Korean culture into our home is by celebrating Children's Day each year. Children's Day is a Korean national holiday celebrated on May 5th each year. In Korea there are usually parades and a lot of fun kid places offer free admission on Children's Day. Parents also buy gifts for their children. We have celebrated two Children's Days since Riley came home. On the first one we bought him a gift and took him out for dinner. On the second one we bought him a fishing pole and had some of his friends over for lunch/playdate and cupcakes.

Michael and I also have tried to learn more about the Korean culture through reading and talking with other Koreans. We plan to take our children to Korea for a family trip when they are old enough to remember being there and would get a lot out of the experience. In our area there are also Korean culture camps for children adopted from Korea. Once Riley is old enough to attend we will definitely check this opportunity out.

We are obviously not Korean but we want to celebrate Riley's heritage as well as we possibly can. No adoptee is exactly the same. There are those who are grown who embrace their original heritage and who wish their parents had done more in this aspect; there are others who identify only with their adopted heritage. Until Riley is old enough to decide which he prefers, we feel like we owe it to him and to his birth family to try to incorporate as best we can aspects of his Korean heritage.