I love the fact that people in this community is so open to learn about/from other culture. Knowledge of other cultures not only enriches us but also helps us understand and see from others’ perspective. In this thread, I hope we can share some of the fun/interesting cultural facts.
We just celebrated Valentine’s Day and I think most of you know that on February 14th, Korean women, especially the younger generations, give presents to their partners. You probably also know that on March 14th, known as White Day, the men give presents to their partners, but did you know that love is celebrated on 14th day of each month in Korea?
This is an interesting read about these monthly celebrations, Koreans are busy.
But I don’t really recall that these customs are shown in Korean dramas… did I miss something or didn’t I pay well attention.
Some of these new traditions (?) are mostly observed by the younger generations and some are not as widely known as others. Also, in k-dramas, certain concepts work better in the storyline than others. For example, the first snowfall.
still some of us have a notion that Koreans are starting to follow western culture more. Every country does follow western culture to some extent but what would you say about Koreans?
It is true that western influence has seeped into Korean culture but I like to think of it more as “adopting and making their own” rather than “following”.
I think changes are made by individuals who see the benefits of adopting new cultural practice.
For example, any public display of physical intimacy (hugs or kisses between partners) is generally frowned upon by the older generation Koreans, but the younger generations, who have more opportunities to observe other culture through travel, study abroad or media, may have different opinion.
Also, I don’t think adopting other cultural practice is one directional. I see many Americans who have adopted the eastern practice of taking their shoes off indoor.
Ultimately, it is up to the individuals to adopt or reject any new ideas or practices based on their own personal belief. I am quite sure though that certain practices, for instance, bowing to the elders in greeting, will not disappear any time soon.
Its the same here in India. I think its a thin line to walk on - trying to distinguish if something is for the better of the culture, whether it’s moving forward and developing or whether its just plain cultural imperialism/copying what you see/imitating what your entertainment makes you think is cool
I just love how SOUTH KOREA while celebrating their Korea’s commemoration of Independence Movement included to honor the colors of the flag of UKRAINE during the show with thousands of drones. I was in tears.
@choitrio
I am quite sure though that certain practices, for instance, bowing to the elders in greeting, will not disappear any time soon.
Not with the older generation, but it is disappearing with the younger generation. They have a youtuber that her young daughters cried bc they didn’t want to bow in front of their Korean grandparents when they visit them in SK.
The video was heartbreaking bc the Korean grandparents were offended, and the mother (their daughter) was in tears as she repeated: Forgive me, I didn’t teach them well, it’s my fault.
I don’t think it’s her fault either, The girls are being raised here in U.S. and no one does here those things; for them to learn and follow as an example. It was sad to see the kids, the mom, and the grandparents all crying over the kids not wanting to do the respectful bow/greeting they have to do in front of the elderly grandpa/grandma.
In my Island of Puerto Rico we say; BLESS ME to our parents/grandparents/uncles/aunts,this but is no longer done by my kids or grandkids. I have called them rude towards me, and it doesn’t face them. They always say grandma/mom that was the old days. Wake up, is the 21st. century. I just give up and laugh with them. Only my oldest daughter ask for blessings when she see me and when she leaves. When they say BENDICION we have to respond DIOS TE BENDIGA. I miss saying that so much bc I felt it protected them from any harm they may face in their daily living.
I always took my shoes off when I entered my home, but it got stricter when I starting watching Asian dramas. Now everyone, even visitors, have to remove their shoes inside my house, and I have assorted sizes, different gender, flip flop for them to use. Some of my family member copied from me and they have sandals so we take our shoes off at the entrance. THAT’S one thing I admire the most from Asian Culture not walking around inside the home with dirty shoes from outside. especially here that we get so much snowy days.
You are right about the struggle to keep up the cultural practices as emigrants. I myself am guilty of not teaching Korean traditions to my kids and I definitely empathize with the mom in the youtube video you mentioned. I do hope though that the Koreans living among Koreans will see the beauty in some of the cultural practices that are unique to Korea and continue to honor them.
By the way, Korean students are required to take Moral/Civic Education class.
Well said @vivi_1485! Well said!
The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun, and this practice repeats itself in every generation. Hence, we lose some cultural traditions, and re-discover others as new within our varied cultures.
I think every school system, all over the world, should make a great effort to keep their old traditions alive by educating especially these new generation that is losing interest in all that bc of the new era they live in. As an ESL teacher I always gave assignment to my Asian students to learn about other countries of their choice. I would let give them a choice of different countries that their classmates were from so they could familiarize themselves to their customs and understand each other better.
I would give them a list of different countries (my Island included). I requested that they cut out pictures from magazines (which I mainly provided) of the sightseeing places, and different dishes they made, and I would ask them to go to the nearest library, and find a recipe of a dish that appealed to them the most, and they would cook and share to eat with their family if they could do that.
I also did cultural events where students from different countries would bring a typical dish/plate from their country, and we would all taste the food, and give our opinion on taste, texture, and many other stuff. We had Muslim students that couldn’t eat pork; so we made sure the students could get to try a dish so they could also complete their project.
I discovered that the students, as they learned things like customs/traditions, food etc. from other countries, they somehow felt a closeness to each other, and I would see them smiling/laughing as they joked about their taste in food, the clothes they wear. I Did exclude religion from this project ONLY bc it was mandated back then by the Board Of Ed. I wished they had allowed students back then to learn about the religion of their classmates respective country bc by learning those things, they would learn/acquire respect towards the religious belief of their classmate.
Every little bit helps, and learning things in school makes the time fly by, and when we are involving the kids to interact so much, it helps them to look forward to get up in the morning to come to school.
PS. Today is one of those rough LUPUS symptoms day’s, so packing will be on hold for a bit. Have a blessed and wonderful weekend with your family.
When we can see each other as individuals and on personal level, it’s much easier to get past the cultural, political/idealogical, even social (class) barriers. I have a few groups of ladies that I try to meet with regularly. One of these groups consists of three women, including myself. One is an outspoken Hispanic liberal, another is a Trump-supporting White conservative, and I am a Korean-American who can best be described as a moderate Republican. We jokingly call our get-togethers “UN meetings”. Even though we obviously come from different backgrounds and may disagree on many issues, we have kept our friendship for more than a decade.
@angelight313_168, take it easy and have a wonderful weekend yourself. I am off to volunteer at my local hospital. It’s my first day back to volunteer since pre-pandemic.
It’s a beautiful thing what you are doing, but please, be extra careful and don’t take chances or take off your mask even if you are vaccinated. I just wished you had waited a bit longer to do volunteer work in the Hospital. I feel is not a safe zone yet. I just saw a youtuber Russian couple who got covid two weeks ago, and they cured themselves with Rosemary Hips powder. He grinded the rosemary hips, and showed how he took a spoonful ate it, and afterwards did drank some water. They don’t believe in medicines or chemical/pesticides treated plants, and his father in law grew them (RH) in their countryside house.
I love your combination of friends, and I would love to be in that group, I believe it would be such a riot. I believe that’s what real friendship is all about, no matter our difference in opinion, belief, religion, etc. we always respect them, and keep the loyalty in our friendship intact.
Since I’ve been ‘‘sicker’’ my door gets knocked about three times a day during the past weeks. Some are my neighbors wanting to know how I’m doing, and I have quite a variety of friends from different countries, but I never noticed that until today. I also realized I am loved more than what I believed I was. It’s a good feeling to have.
I wonder how the general public in Korea feels about this change. That article mentions that there isn’t even a standard system, which causes confusion within the country itself. At least I think I am reading that right. If that’s the case, I can understand why they’d want to standardize things. Imagine suddenly, legally, losing some years on your age. I’d be okay with that, but it would also be weird to adjust to a new way of thinking if I’d been doing it one way my entire life.
to experience some of the cultural fun in person.
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