In Korea, the new year is celebrated with some very special rituals and customs, and naturally we want Ruby to grow up with them. Called “Saebae”, it involves bowing in front of your elders as a sign of respect and appreciation. The new year is also brought in with some great food!
We first brought Ruby down to my mom’s place, dressed to the nines in full Korean regalia. The dress, called a hanbok, was a hit with Ruby. She kept admiring herself in the mirror, and explaining over and over to us that she was wearing a “Korean dress”. We tried teaching her the traditional saebae saying to say to her halmoni (Grandma in Korean), “Sae hae bok manee badusaeyo”, as well.
She never quite got the Korean words right, at least not in their entirety, but she delighted in saying parts of it, like “BOK MANEE!!!” or “BADUSAEYO!!!!”
As you can see in the first photo, though, she got the bow just right. It’s such a beautiful picture, undoubtedly one that will be an iconic image in our family for years to come.
Ruby also learned that saebae involves considerable financial reward too!
In Korea, the New Year is rung in with ddukgook, a hearty, delicious, and nourishing soup with rice cakes and other tasty ingredients. I might be biased, but my mom’s is the bomb. A couple of obligatory food shots!
And a couple pics of Ruby with Halmoni and Wonil!
After a wonderful time at my mom’s, we headed to see my dad and his wife, Grace. In addition to the festivities celebrating the new year, January 1 is also my dad’s birthday so there was double reason to celebrate. I regret we have no picture of Ruby bowing to my dad and Grace, but it was late in the day and Ruby was tired, cranky, and not really in the mood for photos. Let’s just say that it happened!
And here’s the birthday boy blowing out his candles on his cake, incidentally from one of our favorite bakeries in our area, Paris Baguette. Don’t let the name fool you; it’s not a French baker but rather a Korean one. Korean cakes and pastries are a delight, with less overt sweetness than most other cakes and a subtler, sophisticated taste. We love them! Happy Birthday, Dad!
Best wishes for a wonderful 2013 from the Kims!
