Barrett's 1st Birthday (Dol)

On May 22nd 2008, our lives changed in ways we'd never imagine it could. God blessed us with our son, the joy and love of our lives. 

Here's the story of his first birthday...

I'm half Korean so Barrett is a quarter Korean. We want Barrett to experience as many things as he can with his mixed heritage, and one of those things is a Korean first birthday celebration called a 'dol' (pronounced: dole). 

In olden Korean days, infants didn't often survive their first year of life, and the infant survival rate soared after their first birthday, so the first birthday was one of joy and celebration for the child (that and most Koreans will look for any excuse to party).

Probably the most popular tradition of a dol is when the child's future is predicted. A table is laid in front of the child with an array of items placed on it. Barrett's table had money, yarn, fruit, rice cakes, an alarm clock, and a pen. Here's the significance: whatever item he picks up predicts his future. 

Money: He will be wealthy

Yarn: He will live a long life

Pen: He will be scholarly

Rice cakes: He will never be hungry

Fruit: He will have many children

Alarm clock: this isn't traditional because, well obviously they didn't have alarm clocks in the olden days, but my mother threw it on the table so if he chose it he would be an electrical engineer. Yeah, I don't know.  

Barrett was placed in front of this table of goodies and he grabbed...... THE MONEY! Okay, technically, my mom threw it at him and he happened to smack it with his hand so all the guests agreed that he did indeed choose the money first. I'm not going to complain.

Here are some pics from that night.

My mother and I with Barrett in our Hanboks

The table with the goodies

Barrett, Christopher, me, and Trisha (my best good friend that came all the way from Hawaii to help Barrett celebrate his first birthday)

Korean food is so good

It was an informal party. Koreans typically sit on the floor.

Barrett was not interested in his birthday cake at all so one of his aunties kindly smashed some icing into his eye.

Barrett enjoying some dried squid while Grandma takes a shot of Soju

I told you Koreans like to party 

Special thanks to Trisha for providing the pics.