Korean taboo?

folk custom

First, the concept of surnames and villagers

Most Korean names are three words, and a few are two words. The first word is the surname, the second word and the third word are the first name, and one word represents the clan, which is usually attached to a man's name. Each generation is different, and it can be placed in the position of the second or third word at will. According to the Supplementary Literature Reference at the end of the Li Dynasty, there were 496 surnames in North Korea, but in a survey of 1960, only 4 1 1 was found, among which the largest surnames were Jin (about 2 1.7%) and Li (. Most of them are single surnames, and a few are compound surnames, such as Xianyu, Gong Yu, Okada and Hasegawa. According to the law, people with the same family name cannot get married. If you force a marriage without authorization, not only will parents not admit it, but government agencies will not go through the formalities of marriage registration. However, in recent years, there has been a high demand for the abolition of this clause.

Koreans have a strong "blood relationship" and "local concept", and the kinship network is particularly developed. Even distant relatives, communication is sparse, and villagers often meet each other. Political relations are also influenced by regional concepts, and voters generally only support candidates in their own regions. Strong local concepts have also caused some negative effects, such as the regional opposition between Gyeongsangnam-do and Jeollanam-do. More than a thousand years ago, Gyeongsangdo was the birthplace of Silla Kingdom, and Luojin Road was the seat of Baekje Kingdom. Later Silla destroyed Baekje and unified the country. Due to historical reasons, most people who have ruled Korea since ancient times are Gyeongsangdao people. Four presidents, including park chung-hee, Jin Douhuan, Lu Taiyu and Jin Yongsan, chaebol Li Bingzhe (Samsung), You Renhui (Venus) and Jin Yuzhong (Chinese characters), and 70%-80% of senior military generals were born in Gyeongsangdo. Kim Dae-jung, the most famous leader of the opposition party, and Jin Zhihe, a famous poet who opposed dictatorship, were both born in Jeolla-do. 1980 gwangju anti-government riots also occurred in Jeolla-do.

Second, etiquette and taboos.

(1) Etiquette

South Korea is deeply influenced by Confucian education, and the etiquette is characterized by paying attention to the differences between status, seniority, old and young, and men and women. For people with high status and deep qualifications, we should show respect to the elderly and men, use honorifics (a grammatical form held in Korean) when speaking, say hello first, and give way when walking with others, instead of walking in front. In the family, men are superior to women, and men are outside and women are inside; Advocating "a good wife and a good mother" almost all housework falls on women. Men and women over 7 years old cannot sit at the same table. Most women with better family economy do not work after marriage, and even if they work, their salary is lower than that of men. In recent years, the feminist movement has developed, striving for equality between men and women and equal pay for equal work, demanding that the retirement age of female civil servants be changed from 43 to 50.

1. Say hello to people you know, and be sure to say hello to each other. Depending on your status, you can nod, bow, shake hands or hug.

2. When introducing guests from home, parents and guests salute each other, and then introduce the identity and address of each guest to the children, so that the children can bow or bow down to the guests. If you are in the work unit, introduce the people from this unit to the visiting guests first.

It is very hospitable to entertain Koreans. Entertaining guests is often to do their best to bring out the best dishes at home, and guests try to eat and drink. The more they eat, the more they can show their deep feelings. Korean men generally like to drink mortar wine and drink a lot. They toasted each other, chatted and sang while drinking, and it was very lively. China's history book "Biography of Wei's Eastward Aliens" records the customs of drinking, singing and dancing in North Korea. According to the survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 198 1 year, the per capita consumption of liquor in Korea is 9.2 liters per year, ranking among the best in the world. When drinking, sit down according to status and seniority and pour the wine in turn. The person with the highest status raised his glass first, and then followed in turn. People with great status differences can't drink at the same table. People with low status have to turn their backs to drink because of special circumstances. When people with low status touch each other's cups, they should touch each other's cups with the rim, not sideways, otherwise it is impolite. When people with low status need to propose a toast to people with high status, they should ask their permission. When they come forward to propose a toast, they should bow first and say some congratulations, holding the bottle in their right hand and the bottom of the bottle in their left hand. It should be noted that the toaster only pours wine, does not accompany it, and bows when leaving. The person who accepts the toast should say something of thanks. When people with similar status toast each other, they should pour each other wine and clink glasses.

4. It is also a habit of Koreans since ancient times to offer cigarettes to guests. But in general, people with low status can't smoke in front of people with high status. Children should never smoke in front of their parents, let alone borrow or receive fire from them.

5. Take off your shoes when you wear socks into Korean homes and when you eat in Korean canteens, so be sure to wear clean socks. It is impolite to have dirty or holes in socks. People think they are ill-bred. When seated, both the host and the guest should sit cross-legged on the floor, and they can't straighten their legs, let alone separate.

(2) Taboo

Koreans generally avoid the word "four". Because "four" and "death" in Korean are homophonic, they are traditionally considered unlucky. Therefore, there is no building No.4, four floors and room No.4 in Korea. There are no four divisions in the army, no four tables in the banquet hall, no four toasts and no four people in a row. In addition, pregnant women should avoid breaking bowls for fear that the fetus will crack their mouths; Marriage avoids the zodiac, and the wedding period is two days, avoiding a single day; Say auspicious words in festivals; Men should not ask women's age and marital status; Apologize when shooting; Cover your mouth with your hand or napkin when picking your teeth; You should use your right hand when handing things, not your left hand, because traditionally, it is considered that "the right is superior to the left" and it is impolite to hand things with your left hand.

Third, clothes and hats.

Modern Korean men wear suits and women wear dresses, and there are many styles. Traditional costumes are rich in national characteristics, and men's wear mainly includes coats, trousers, vests and robes. The coat is mostly white, which is called "inner height". The right lapel of the coat is inside and the left lapel is outside. The coat belt is fastened to the right chest with some kind of movable buckle. Pants are called "bucky", and their crotch, trouser legs and trouser legs are relatively large. The vest covers the coat with rich colors and patterns. The biggest feature of women's clothing is that the coat is short and close-fitting. Skirts can be divided into long skirts and tube skirts. Long skirts to the heels are worn by married women. Before getting married, women wear a tube skirt, which is calf-long and has many details at the waist. Women also wear aprons when cooking and washing clothes, which is called "Zhou Xing skirt". The name "Lucky State Skirt" has a historical origin. Legend1February 593, Japan sent troops to besiege the mountain city of Xingzhou, which is more than 20 kilometers away from Seoul. Under the command of General Quan Law, the soldiers and civilians in the city fought to the death. Before women used aprons to transport stones, Xingzhou effectively inspired the morale of the soldiers guarding the city, defeated the enemy and held the castle. Since then, Korean women's aprons have been renamed as "Lucky State Skirts".

Korean women like to wear headscarves. Headscarves are divided into triangular and square scarves, which are made of silk, satin and chemical fiber. Some are printed, some are embroidered, and the old woman uses a white headscarf. When men go out to work, travel or get sick at home, they often wrap a towel on their heads, which can not only prevent dust, but also wipe sweat and wash their faces. There are many styles of traditional Korean men's hats, including: 1, rock towel. A hat made of ponytail, with trapezoidal top, low in front and high in back, is rarely worn now; 2. A wide-brimmed hat worn by men. The most popular is the black hat, which is cylindrical and covers the top of the head. The brim of the hat is very wide, which is used to keep out the sun and rain. Materials include reeds, bamboo slips, loose baskets, silks and satins, cotton cloth, paper and hemp. 3. Crown. Also known as gauze cap, it is woven by human hair or Heima Village. With square, fan-shaped and complicated wings. Men, especially the elderly, have the custom of wearing a crown, which has been passed down to this day.

Fourth, eating habits.

Koreans are very particular about food, and there is a saying that "food is one of Five Blessingg". Korean cuisine is characterized by "five flavors and five colors", that is, it consists of five colors: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty, red, white, black, green and yellow. The daily diet of Koreans is rice, kimchi, miso, Chili sauce, kimchi, Bazhen cuisine and miso soup. The main ingredients of Bazhen cuisine are mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, tofu, dried tofu, vermicelli, Toona sinensis stem, Tibetan cuisine and mushrooms.

Koreans especially like to eat Chili. Chili noodles and Chili sauce are usually essential seasonings. This is related to the cold and humid climate in Korea, and the cultivation of rice needs cold and moisture, just as kimchi is a necessary non-staple food with Korean national characteristics in winter. On June 5438+0 1 every year, Chinese cabbage and Rachel are washed and dried, and various seasonings such as pepper, garlic, onion and seafood are added, covered with vats and sealed for half a month to 1 month. Every housewife has a unique craft and secret recipe for pickling kimchi, so every kimchi tastes different.

Koreans like beef, chicken and fish, but they don't like mutton, ducks and greasy food. Dog meat is one of their favorite meats.

There are many springs in Korea, which are clean, cool and sweet, because two Koreans generally don't drink tea or boiled water.

Koreans are used to eating at low tables, which are filled with rice bowls, soup bowls, saucers and dishes with side dishes. Chopsticks and spoons are also used for eating.

South Korea's famous local dishes mainly include: all kinds of sashimi, stinky fish in Mokpo, stewed suckling pig in Gwangju, roast beef, raw mixed tripe (that is, tripe), ginseng chicken and fairy furnace (that is, Yuekouzi soup, similar to China's hot pot).

Korean diet can not be separated from crisp products, there are many kinds, mainly kimchi and pickled fish.

Koreans love soup. Soup is an important part of Korean diet, and it is indispensable when you eat it. There are many kinds, mainly sauce soup and dog soup.

Koreans often eat desserts, cakes and pasta, mainly maltose, nectar, cakes, steamed cakes, fried cakes, fried cakes and cold noodles.

The daily drinks of Koreans include alcohol and soft drinks. Sanhai liquor is a kind of turbid liquor, and its history can be traced back to Silla, Baekje and Koguryo periods. Because it is brewed by farmers themselves, it is commonly known as agricultural wine, mixed with clear honey, but with low alcohol content, cool and delicious; In addition, there are sake with long shelf life and sweet wine suitable for winter brewing. Soft drinks mainly include folk-made scented tea and persimmon juice. The former has the same name as the scented tea in China, but it has nothing to do with its essence. The latter is mostly drunk on New Year's Day.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) life customs

Koreans hold many ceremonies from birth to adulthood, and these ceremonies have been gradually simplified. Traditional ceremonies mainly include:

People with children on the forbidden line must stop a straw rope at the gate, commonly known as the forbidden line. If a boy is born, put charcoal, pine branches and peppers on the straw rope; If the baby is a girl, put charcoal, pine branches and paper on the straw rope. It is forbidden to hang for 2 1 day, and people who are in mourning or sick are not allowed to enter.

On the 7th day after the baby is born, it is called Lanzhai. Mother-in-law should cook special dishes for the parturient, distribute steamed cakes and seaweed soup to relatives, friends and neighbors, so that the parturient and the baby are healthy and healthy, and then close relatives can visit.

Father usually names the baby before the full moon.

Some families selling children are afraid that their husbands will fail, so they regard the tree as their father and pray for their children's health and longevity. To this end, the child's name should be changed accordingly.

A hundred-day baby is called a hundred days when it is born 100. On this day, friends, relatives and neighbors will be entertained. The guests presented little clothes and gifts to the mother and baby, wishing the baby a healthy growth.

On the first anniversary of the birth of a one-year-old child? Mother-in-law dressed KINOMOTO SAKURA in a rainbow suit to "catch the week". In modern times, most of them take pictures of their children's first birthday. Then relatives and friends came to congratulate and the host gave a banquet.

The coronation ceremony means that a person has grown up at the age of 20. The ancient coronation ceremony has been greatly simplified and even stopped. The ceremony is usually held on the auspicious day of the first lunar month.

When a woman reaches the age of 15, a ceremony of tying and inserting hair is held, usually presided over by the mother of the recipient.

Hua Jia's 60th birthday is Hua Jia. Congratulations on flowers is a big event at home. The ceremony is usually held in the eldest son's home, and relatives and friends also come to celebrate his birthday. The birthday ceremony was grand, and relatives and friends of children and grandchildren gave gifts in turn according to their seniority, wishing the elderly a long life.

Entering Jia is 70 years old. When parents reach the age of entering the first grade, children should congratulate the elderly on their birthdays. Ceremony and congratulations are the same.

Six, folk entertainment and agricultural music and dance

(A) traditional folk entertainment

Since ancient times, the Korean people have been known for their courage, wisdom and optimism. In the long historical process, they have created, researched and developed many recreational activities with strong national characteristics.

Swing is a traditional game for Korean women and children in festivals. Height determines the outcome of the game. Generally, a treetop is designated as the target to see who can kick and bite. Some hang a bell, which swings higher and higher in autumn, and the bell rises higher and higher until the feet can't be touched.

Scraping is the favorite entertainment for Korean women. It has strong national characteristics and extensive mass. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the fifth day of May and the fifteenth day of August, women put on holiday costumes, get together and participate in the activities of burning dawn boards, which is very enjoyable. There are two people jumping and four people jumping, which are not only comparable to the height, but also comparable to the thrilling skills such as somersault and circle drilling.

When Korean women use hemp or cotton spinning thread, it is often that a dozen or even dozens of households get together to help each other and sing while working.

A dance in the farm yard. The dance begins with the band playing, then the girls dance with handkerchiefs, then the teenagers dance with knives, and finally the flute and other musical instruments solo.

Wrestling, also known as wrestling, wrestling and corner touching, is one of the traditional festival sports activities of Korean men. The champion can get a big cow, and the rest can get prizes of pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks according to the ranking.

Archery is one of Korean men's favorite program competitions. The ranking is determined according to the shooting distance and the number of target rings. During the competition, the contestants wore national costumes, and the scene was extremely spectacular and lively.

Tug of War Festival is often held as a traditional game, with hundreds to thousands of people participating. Tug of war in Korea is very different from ordinary tug of war. The straw rope used for tug-of-war is divided into main rope and sub-rope. The length of the rope depends on the number of participants. The main rope for hundreds of participants is about 50-60 cm in diameter and 300-400 meters in length. Tie a branch rope every1-2m, and there are more than 100 branches. On the twelfth and thirteenth day of the first month, tug-of-war competitions for children in two villages were held first, and the scale was relatively small. The next day, a large-scale tug-of-war for adult men was held. In addition to prizes, the winner can also take all the tug-of-war ropes of the negative side and go back to the village to hold celebrations.

Equestrians perform various skills on horseback. There are one-person performances and two-person performances.

In addition to the above activities, there are also recreational games such as throwing stones, car fighting, craps, flying kites, throwing pots, scenic spots and promoting maps.

(2) Agricultural music, singing and dancing

From the beginning of spring ploughing to the end of autumn harvest, farmers sing different songs and dance different dances according to different labor contents. The main labor songs are: fat song, spring ploughing song, rice transplanting song, wheat threshing song, sickle grinding song and harvest song. The main dances are agricultural music dance, mutual help dance and humming and dancing.

Seven. house

The traditional folk houses in Korea are very distinctive, reflecting the mild and beautiful natural conditions on the Korean peninsula and the characteristics that people used agriculture as their main production activity in the past. Traditional houses are bungalows, which can be divided into the following three categories according to their location and layout:

A single-row house consists of an inner room, an outer room and a kitchen. Every room has a door that opens outward, and every room has a small door that communicates with each other. There are front porches in front of the inner and outer rooms. The floor between the inner room and the outer room is a rectangular fire kang, separated by sliding doors or partitions. The front yard of a single-row house has a fence and a front door.

A double-row house consists of a main room at the back and a concierge at the front, and the two sides in the middle are connected by fences to form a courtyard. The main room consists of an inner room, an outer room, a front porch and a kitchen. There is a doorway in the middle of the concierge, with guest rooms on the right and guest rooms and barns on the left. The courtyard has a main entrance and a side door, and tourists enter and leave through the main entrance.

The right-angle chamber is formed by connecting the main chamber and the side chamber. There is a spacious kitchen at the junction of the main room and the side hall. The main room consists of kitchen, inner room (some of which are divided into upper and lower inner rooms), outer room and front porch; Rooms are divided into upper rooms, lower rooms and small corridors. Each room has a door that opens outward, and adjacent rooms are connected by small sliding doors. Fence off the yard.

Sihefu, also known as the square house, is a quadrangular house, which consists of a right-angle room, a wing room and a concierge. There are two warehouses in the wing, some of which are still inhabited; The concierge has two rooms and a simple kitchen, as well as a doorway and a barn.

Guests must say hello first. After the host answers, the guest takes off his shoes in the corridor and enters the outer room from the main entrance, not from the kitchen or the inner room. For families with wing rooms, there is a special guest room where guests can talk to their hosts.

In a family with strict feudal ethics, adult men generally do not enter the kitchen, and male guests are not allowed to enter the kitchen casually. Although we don't pay attention to this habit now, male guests should try to avoid entering if there are no special circumstances.

Eight. Marriage and funeral

Marriage custom

The marriage custom in Korea is the coexistence of traditional marriage custom, new marriage and religious wedding, which has a strong national style. Korean marriage customs have changed greatly, mainly as follows: First, the age of marriage has gradually increased from low to high. In the past, 65,438+03 ~ 65,438+04 or even younger boys had to marry a wife several years older than themselves in order to have grandchildren early, and the wife would take care of her husband. At present, the law stipulates that men can only get married at the age of 20 and women can only get married at the age of 18, but in real life, both men and women are committed to work and study, and even get married later than the legal age. Second, the wedding has changed from complicated to complicated, and the cost has been greatly reduced. Whether it's the wedding procedure, the number of guests or the time and way to celebrate the continuation, etc. It is more and more simplified, freeing people from heavy mental and economic burdens. Wedding is free love, and engagement ceremony is dispensable. Although wedding ceremonies vary from place to place, there are generally the following procedures: in music, the bride and groom wearing wedding dresses enter the venue and salute each other; The host introduces the resume of the bride and groom, reads the marriage certificate, and the bride and groom exchange gifts; The officiating guests delivered speeches, the representatives of men and women delivered speeches, the bride and groom delivered speeches, and the guests delivered speeches. With the music, the bride and groom leave. After the ceremony, the man gave a banquet to entertain the guests, and people sang and danced to bless the couple.

There are many traditional and old-fashioned marriage procedures in Korea, and the etiquette is very complicated. Generally, they include the following procedures: the matchmaker introduces and talks about marriage, and the parents of both men and women talk about marriage for their children and conclude an engagement. Traditionally, men and women are engaged according to the words of the matchmaker and the orders of their parents.

When Nacai is engaged, the man sends someone to give the bride a bride price, which is also called "sending a letter" (this box). This letter contains letters and blue and green satin, which is used to make coats and skirts for women. This woman must write back.

When Nabi got married, the man used two boxes to hold "gifts" (letters) and gifts respectively. The gift is tied with red silk thread, first with red satin, then with green satin. The box was sent to the woman's house by her unmarried relatives and friends.

Before getting married in Ji Juan, the woman wrote to inform the man of the chosen wedding date. Before marriage, the woman should carry out divination according to the four pillars and five elements of both sides (called "Republic") and choose an auspicious day for marriage.

On the wedding day, the groom gets up early, puts on his wedding dress (gauze hat, group collar, chest and back, embroidered belt and black boots) and pays homage to his parents, who go to the ancestral hall to ask them to pay homage to their ancestors. After that, the groom and his entourage rode to the bride's house to meet her. The first guest in the entourage refers to the groom's father or uncle, who needs to carry the "wooden goose" with him. Sprinkle salt along the way to congratulate. The bride wore a velvet corolla and a beautiful rainbow wedding dress to bid farewell to her parents, who repeatedly told her to honor her in-laws and pay attention to etiquette. Relatives surrounded the bride and sent her to the middle gate. In the yard, the bride and groom held a ceremony of "getting off the goose". The so-called "drinking geese" means that the groom carries the geese into the woman's house, puts them on the table, and asks her mother-in-law to feed them noodles, indicating that the newlyweds will be as faithful to love as the geese and spend their old age together. After offering the goose, the bride came out to meet the groom, bowed to each other, connected her wrists with blue and red silk thread, drank three glasses of wine and exchanged wedding rings. Then the bride comes down to the car with the help of her mother or relatives. The groom pulls back the curtain and the bride enters the car. The groom leads the way on horseback, followed by a sedan chair. When you pass the temple in the city, you should tie it in front of the temple with white cloth. When the sedan chair arrived at the groom's house, the groom dismounted and was admitted to the hospital. Then the sedan chair passed through the bonfire lit by grass and entered the courtyard gate. The greeting man threw beans at the sedan chair. The ground in the yard is covered with straw mats, and a pair of candles are lit on the table. There are two vases with pine branches and bamboo, several plates of chestnuts, dates and persimmons, and a hen and a rooster. When the bride gets off the sedan chair and enters the hospital, she bows to the goose (held by the groom's family and standing in the courtyard), salutes the groom, toasts each other, entertains guests and enters the new house. After entering the new house, the groom takes off the bride's veil, and relatives and friends can pierce the window paper to peep, so there are often screens in the room for easy shelter. Candles in the new house can't be blown out by mouth, but must be cut out with chopsticks or scissors, otherwise it is said that one of the couple will lose good luck. When getting married, the bride and groom must eat two kinds of food. One is cold noodles, and the noodles are very long, which symbolizes the happiness and well-being of the old. The second is a round rice cake, which symbolizes the full moon, love each other and happiness. Guests will be entertained on the wedding day

On the second day after the wedding, after the bride meets her in-laws, the in-laws hold a family dinner to thank her, which is called the Jieyan. Friends, relatives and neighbors should be invited to attend, and wine, vegetables and dishes should be sent to those who are inconvenient to go to dinner because of old age or poverty to show their respect and concern.

On the third day after the wedding, the bride and groom went to their wives' home to meet their father-in-law, mother-in-law and relatives. It's called farewell.

The bride goes back to her parents' home. Two months or a year after marriage, the bride, accompanied by her husband or father-in-law, returns home with food and gifts. Some places are not allowed to visit relatives for three years, or even to return to their parents' homes for life. However, the wise man came up with the remedy of meeting halfway, that is, between the in-laws, the time and place were agreed in advance, and the in-laws prepared food for their daughter-in-law, sent it to the agreed place, met their parents, and had dinner in the wild.

The traditional marriage customs mentioned above are not only diverse in etiquette, but also bring a heavy economic burden. Nowadays, new wedding ceremonies are gradually appearing among the people, but some people still follow the traditional wedding customs.