Classes to teach parents-to-be traditional Korean lullabies, mobile making

By Ko Dong-hwan

For soon-to-be moms and dads, prenatal care can become over-complicated by barrages of information on nutrition, books, places to go and exercises for the care of unborn babies. It can all become very costly in terms of both time and money. For millennia in Korea, as for people all over the world throughout history, new parents simply relied on the simple wisdom preserved and handed down from generation to generation.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will open a special class at a local museum in Seoul, later this week for those bracing for the big day and mulling over the bigger responsibilities they will have to handle in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

Lessons teaching the craft of sewing a baby mobile and folkloric Korean lullabies, open on Friday at the Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music in central Seoul. The once-a-day lesson will open every Friday from this week until May 26.

Accepting no more than 10 participants at a time, the “Sewing with Our Own Folk Sound” class teaches aspiring parents to sing one of the most famous lullabies known from Korea's folklore and to make the country's traditionally popular mobile for babies. While listening to the music, participants get to test their dexterity in handling needle and thread.

Each two hour-lesson familiarizes participants with the country's various lullabies originating from different regions in a special exhibition at the museum which began on Children's Day on May 5. Exhibition admission is free.

“We hope our country's folkloric songs will mesmerize participants through the programs we have prepared to commemorate the country's Family Month of May,” said Kim Kyeong-mi, the head of the museum. “We plan to further create programs for to-be moms and dads using our cultural heritage and activities.”