Keeping up with the Kioks: Norah's Birthday Party!

So everyone was healthy in time for Norah's birthday party! Read our earlier birthday post here. The week leading up to it was filled with taking care of Norah and even without a sick child it is very hard to find extra time to plan an event so there was a lot of last minute planning to pull it all together. However, with help from the Aunties (Janina and Jillian) we pulled it off! It was a small gathering at Jillian's apartment with some family and friends. We got to Philly late Friday night, and after putting Norah back to bed got to work. This included moving around Jillian's furniture, moving her Christmas tree, and putting up the actual decorations. Jillian had the big posters printed earlier that week, Janina made the garland that hung across the window, and we put together the collage of pictures late that night. I had made the two smaller posters on Thursday, and Jillian had them printed.

In Korea, a child's first birthday celebration is known as a Dol (aka Doljanchi or Doljabi). The child wears a traditional hanbok and is blessed for a prosperous future. The highlight of the Dol is when the child is placed on a blanket or in front of a table lined with items. The guests then cheer on the child to pick up an item which will foretell their future. The items laid out can vary, and have evolved over time. For Norah we laid out a book, stethescope, tennis ball, toy trumpet, string, and stack of cash. These represented a scholar, doctor, athlete, artist/musician, long life, and wealth, respectively. It took Norah a little while to pick up an item. First she was tired and laid down to take a nap, and then she couldn't crawl very well since the hanbok was large on her. Her guests continued to cheer her on though and Norah eventually picked up the string.