There are two English words that should never be used together in a phrase, “infant” and “mortality.” But the reality is that it pops up every now and then to the dismay of many. I found this stark and disturbing data searching for something entirely different, but I thought I should share it.
would there be something similar to microphone that might signify musician? or artist? (or does no one want that for their child? haha!) i chose the pen. i did do well in school and here i am on substack haha!
The thing about it is that there is no hard and fast rule. I'm sure you can place one of those plastic toy guitars or something like that. And for artist, something like crayons, colored pencils or water color tubes? I've seen little model buildings put on the doljabi table--supposedly the parents want their kid to become a building owner. There is this new thing the parents want their kids to become these days -- 돈 많은 백수. A stinking rich person with no job = a building owner. And yep, a pen grabber myself.
Yong, How you transitioned from infant mortality rates to doljabi fascinated me. First you grabbed my attention with grim statistics and ended the story with the delight of parents watching their offspring blossom and flourish. And in between the beginning and the end, you sprinkled your tale with cultural Korean traditions. At first, I thought how great it is that the doljabi gives the child the opportunity to choose their preferences, but then it occurred to me that what appears on that table for children to pick from is ultimately based on the parent(s) choices. This is very much like the premise of all educational systems. hmmm...
I enjoyed learning about these celebrations and as always love your photos and illustrations.
I have no idea when this doljabi thing started, but it used to be that only things with non-specific wishes, such as long and healthy lives (yarn, noodles), good fortunes (wallet, 5-colored papers), being plentiful (rice, coins), were on the doljabi table. Things evolve = sign of the times?
would there be something similar to microphone that might signify musician? or artist? (or does no one want that for their child? haha!) i chose the pen. i did do well in school and here i am on substack haha!
The thing about it is that there is no hard and fast rule. I'm sure you can place one of those plastic toy guitars or something like that. And for artist, something like crayons, colored pencils or water color tubes? I've seen little model buildings put on the doljabi table--supposedly the parents want their kid to become a building owner. There is this new thing the parents want their kids to become these days -- 돈 많은 백수. A stinking rich person with no job = a building owner. And yep, a pen grabber myself.
Yong, How you transitioned from infant mortality rates to doljabi fascinated me. First you grabbed my attention with grim statistics and ended the story with the delight of parents watching their offspring blossom and flourish. And in between the beginning and the end, you sprinkled your tale with cultural Korean traditions. At first, I thought how great it is that the doljabi gives the child the opportunity to choose their preferences, but then it occurred to me that what appears on that table for children to pick from is ultimately based on the parent(s) choices. This is very much like the premise of all educational systems. hmmm...
I enjoyed learning about these celebrations and as always love your photos and illustrations.
I have no idea when this doljabi thing started, but it used to be that only things with non-specific wishes, such as long and healthy lives (yarn, noodles), good fortunes (wallet, 5-colored papers), being plentiful (rice, coins), were on the doljabi table. Things evolve = sign of the times?
thanks! very interesting that’s the new trend now