The examples and perspective in this articledeal primarily with Korea and do not represent aworldwide viewof the subject.(June 2024) |
In theSinosphere,one's sixtieth birthday has traditionally held special significance. Especially whenlife expectencieswere shorter, the sixtieth birthday was seen as a symbolic threshold for reaching old age and having lived a full life. This birthday is known asjiaziinChinese,kanrekiinJapanese,andhwangapinKorean.
| Hwangap | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A museum display of agobaesang,a traditional table setting forhwangap | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Chinese | Giáp | ||||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||||
| Hangul | 환갑 | ||||||||||
| Hanja | Còn giáp | ||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||
| Kanji | Còn lịch | ||||||||||
| Kana | かんれき | ||||||||||
| Kyūjitai | Còn lịch | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Description
editThe traditional lunisolar calendars in the Sinosphere (Chinese calendar,Japanese calendar,Korean calendar) observesexagenary cycles:cycles of sixty years.[citation needed]Thus, living sixty years had special significance as one completed a full cycle. Some saw it as the start of a second lifetime,[1][2]and thus as an opportunity to give up some responsibility and return to enjoying life as children do.[2]
Korea
editIn Korea, the sixtieth birthday is known ashwangap,hoegap(회갑;Hồi giáp),jugap(주갑;Chu giáp),gapnyeon(갑년;Giáp năm), orhwallyeok(환력;Còn lịch).[3]The sixtieth birthday is according to one's age per the international reckoning and not byKorean age.[4][3]In other words, one's Korean age will actually be 61 at the time of thehwangap.[3]
Traditional celebrations
editThe date of the ceremony was not always on the actual birthday. This was for superstitious reasons: the ceremony date would be chosen to avoid inauspicious days. It was also considered bad luck to hold a ceremony after the actual birthday, and thus people would only hold it before.[3]
The ceremony is traditionally a major affair, with descendants inviting the extended family for an event that can sometimes last multiple days, for wealthier families. Ceremonies can also be arranged by subordinates for superiors, for example students for teachers or disciples for religious leaders. The ceremony is seen as an expression offilial piety.Costs for the ceremony are typically covered by the descendants or subordinates.[3][5]
Traditionally ceremonies were held at the home.[3][5]Preparations for the ceremony would begin days in advance, and involve the brewing of alcohol, preparation of foods and snacks, and preparation of facilities for guests. Neighbors and relatives would come to assist in this process. Early on the morning of thehwangap,the celebrated person would pay their respects to theirancestral shrine.[3]
Breakfast would be served in theanbangordaecheong(open area of house). The honored person and their spouse, dressed in their finest clothes, would be prominently seated in front of abyeongpung(folding screen) and behind a large table such as agyojasang(교자상;Giao tử giường). Food offerings are to be grander than usual, with a mandatory serving ofmiyeok-guk.Also on the table are foods piled high in decorative fashion (typically incylinders), such as chestnuts,jujubes,snacks,yakgwa,persimmons,and more. Other decorations would also be placed on the table, taking the shapes of flowers,dragons,turtles, or cranes. Also present is a typically separate table of ceremonial alcohol and cups (헌주상;Hiến rượu giường;heonjusang). Traditional music, sometimes performed bykisaeng,would also be performed during the event.[3]Guests would arrive, bringing gifts of clothing, alcohol, fruit, and rice.[1][5]
Before breakfast is eaten, the eldest son and his spouse would approach the table, bow deeply, raise glasses of ceremonial alcohol, then bow deeply again. Afterwards, in descending order by age, younger siblings would follow suit and pay tribute to the honored person. They are then followed by extended family and other peoples.[3][5]In cases where the parents of the honored person are alive, they too can participate in paying their respects, sometimes symbolically and/or jokingly wearing brightly-colored clothing typical of children.[3][5]
Afterwards, breakfast is then consumed either in that room or in a separate area. Often strangers and passersby are invited to join; it is traditionally considered a sign of virtue and social status to have many guests at one'shwangap.[3]Speeches are given about the person's life.[6]Various traditional performances and games can take place during thehwangap.If the person and their guests were well-educated, poetry could be composed and read during thehwangap.[3]
The year after thehwangap,another smaller ceremony called ajingap(진갑;Tiến giáp) can also be held.[3]This is not as large as thehwangap,but also larger than a typical birthday celebration. Afterwards, there are a number of other possible (albeit rarer) celebrations until the end of one's life: the 60th wedding anniversary can be celebrated, there is a 70th birthday ceremony (고희;Cổ lai hi;gohui), a 77th birthday (희수;Hỉ thọ;huisu), and 88th birthday (미수;Mễ thọ;misu).[3][1]These later birthdays are of similar scale to thejingap.[3]
Modern celebrations
editWith increasing life expectancies, thehwangapcelebration has been given a lesser significance than before.[7][8]Some parents reportedly do not expect to receive a ceremony at all, and instead weigh later ceremonies, such as thegohui,higher.[8]: 53, 158 [2]This is also possibly impacted by the falling numbers of elderly people who live with their children.[8]: 158 Larger ceremonies are possibly more typical in rural areas than they are in urban.[9]
In some instances, only close family members get together to have a big meal.[7]Some rent out spaces in banquet halls or restaurants.[2][1][6]Some hold separate events for closer family and guests.[10]
With changing religious practices in Korea, the ceremony has become secularized or Christianized.[11]Some Christian families choose to deemphasize the aspects of thehwangapthat involvedancestor worship.[10]In one instance described in a 1991 paper, a family'shwangapinvolved a Catholic sermon and the taking ofcommunion.[6]
The ceremony has been observed by members of theKorean diaspora.[12][9]The ceremony was the subject of a 2009 play called "American Hwangap" by a Korean-American playwright.[13][14]
See also
edit
- Second Bar Mitzvah
- Dol-janchi,the one year birthday celebration in Korea
References
edit- ^abcd김, 미진.환갑잔치 - 디지털서귀포문화대전.Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture(in Korean).Retrieved2024-07-22.
- ^abcdMente, Boye Lafayette De (2018-04-24).Korean Mind: Understanding Contemporary Korean Culture.Tuttle Publishing. pp. 118–119.ISBN978-1-4629-2015-0.
- ^abcdefghijklmno임, 석재,"환갑 ( còn giáp )",Encyclopedia of Korean Culture(in Korean),Academy of Korean Studies,retrieved2024-07-22
- ^"이제부터는 만 나이가 내 나이입니다".Ministry of Government Legislation.2023-06-26. p. 6.RetrievedJuly 22,2024.
- ^abcdeChin 1991,p. 146.
- ^abcChin 1991,p. 147.
- ^abHyong, Kie-joo (2005).Korea Today.Yoon Deok-hong. p. 70.
- ^abcPrendergast, David (2021-10-01).From Elder to Ancestor: Old Age, Death and Inheritance in Modern Korea.BRILL.ISBN978-90-04-21384-5.
- ^abChin 1991,p. 148.
- ^abChin 1991,pp. 147–148.
- ^Chin 1991,p. 147, 150.
- ^Yoo, Grace J.; Kim, Barbara W. (2014-06-20).Caring Across Generations: The Linked Lives of Korean American Families.NYU Press. p. 95.ISBN978-0-8147-6897-6.
- ^Jaworowski, Ken (2009-05-19)."Happy 60th Birthday, Dad, but Where Have You Been?".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2024-07-22.
- ^Harvey, Dennis (2009-04-14)."American Hwangap".Variety.Retrieved2024-07-22.
Sources
edit- Chin, Soo-Young (1991-04-01)."Korean birthday rituals".Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology.6(2): 145–152.doi:10.1007/BF00056752.ISSN1573-0719.PMID24390507.