Coming-of-age rite brings foreigners closer to Korea

By Kim Ji-young, Lee Sun-kyo and Kim Hyun-jin

It is a day of celebration and of acknowledgement. Young adults in Korea are congratulated as they assume new responsibilities and rights as proud members of society, on the Coming-of-Age Day, which falls on every third Monday in May.

Around 10 a.m., Monday, dozens of young men and women adorned in green, red and pink traditional costumes walked into a plaza surrounded by traditional houses with dark blue tile-roofs at the foot of Mt. Namsan ― a 262-meter land mark in central Seoul.

The ritual called Seongnyeon-rye took place in Namsangol Hanok Village, co-organized by Seoul City and Yejiwon, a non-profit institution that preserves and practices Korean traditional culture.

Under the bright morning sun, the 50-minute ritual began with the welcoming of the elders called Sanggyeon-rye, going through Ga-rye where the young adults tie up their hair and wear traditional hats, hair accessories and formal gowns.

“Before the change into adulthood, children normally wore their hair in a braid,” explained a member of Yejiwon, dressed in a pale pink and purple ‘hanbok’ ― traditional Korean costume. The change in the hair arrangement is very significant in this step.

“The young males tie their hair into topknots and put on a ‘gat,’ which is a traditional hat made from horsehair,” said the woman. “Girls become adults by rolling their braided hair into a chignon bun and fixing it with a long ornamental hairpin made of jade called ‘binyeo.’”

Cho-rye, the drinking of alcohol, came next. “Traditionally, the young adults would be offered alcohol and learning the proper way to accept and offer alcohol takes up about two hours. For time efficiency, however, everyone is drinking tea today,” said the narrator of the ceremony.

The ceremony ended with Suhun-rye, the pledge to behave as a mature adult.

People between the ages of 19 and 24 took part in the ceremony on Monday.

The first written record of Korea’s coming-of-age ceremony is from 965, during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). It became a popular custom of the upper class by the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1920).

Historically, age did not determine when the ritual took place. Its main purpose was to prepare the “future” man and woman of their grown-up responsibilities.

“As long as the elders believed that an adolescent was capable of making decisions, marrying and taking care of his own family, that was the right time to celebrate maturity,” a spokeswoman from Yejiwon explained.

However, turning 19 is significant in contemporary Korean society. On the first day of the year, they reach this age, adolescents are granted voting rights and the right to visit bars.

Among the 100 participants, 22 were international students studying at Konkuk University Language Institute.

While most Americans are familiar with “Sweet Sixteen” parties ― fancy 16th birthday celebrations held in the U.S.― they do not have a specific day in which they acknowledge the start of adulthood.

“We don’t have anything like this in France,” said Guillaume Dupuis, an exchange student at the university, wearing his sky-blue traditional cloak, “dopo” and the traditional “gat.” “We have birthday parties but no traditions that pay tribute to becoming an adult.”

“It’s our first time participating in a Korean traditional activity. This was a fun experience,” added Jessie Robertson, a fellow student in a green “jeogori” ― the upper part of the hanbok ― and a red skirt or “chima.”

Despite the diversity of participants, better measures need to be made to create a truly inclusive event. With no English translations provided at the venue, foreigners attracted by the colorful views stood watching, not knowing the nature of the ceremony.

“I thought it was a wedding,” Phil Ashton, a tourist from Australia, said.

For next year’s ceremony, where foreign students from Yonsei University will participate, a brief English introduction added in the brochures or multi-language signs on-site could solve this problem, the organizer said.

The writers are interns at The Korea Times. jykim3500@gmail.com/sunkyo.lee@gmail.com/pkim@smith.edu