Korean Tol: A Fun and Creative Way to Engage Your Child

So you are looking for a fun, interesting and different way to celebrate your child's first birthday party. An interesting and not very common way in America is the traditional Korean Tol. To many Korean families a child's first birthday was very important due to the high infant mortality rate. That is why when a child reached the age of one, there was a big celebration. The traditional Tol celebration is divided into four major areas. Praying and giving thanks, wearing the traditional birthday clothing, preparing the table and performing the Toljabee, and sharing the food with guests and friends. However, I think that the best area for your child's first birthday party is the third component. That is the one which involves preparing the table and performing the Toljabee.

The birthday table is decorated and piled high with foods for the guests. Traditionally the main food includes rice cakes and fruits. Sometimes there are over 12 different types of rice including, steamed rice, rainbow colored steamed rice, half moon shaped rice and puffed air rice cakes. Yet, if you want to adapt this to your own culture you can place food items on the table that are more traditional for your culture.

The best part about the Toljabee is that the table holds other items such as a thread and needle, pencils, books, money, rulers, etc. Be creative, however keep in mind that each item has to represent something about your child's future.

Next, you want to place your child at the table facing the guests, so they can take pictures and see what your child is planning on picking. Once your child is ready to start looking at the items it is the job of the father to guide the child around the table and help him or her grab the items that they are attracted to. The child has to reach for the items or pick them up; the father can not just select the ones he thinks are the best. Even though the father can not pick the items for the child, the parents can place the items they hope the child will select near the edges of the table.

During this first birthday party, your child gets to go around the table and select items that interested him or her. These items are said to help predict your child's future. The first and second items that the child grabs are considered to be the most important.

The way some of the items break down for future predication are:

Thread and Needle - Long Life
Book/pencil/paper - Successful scholar
Rice/Rice Cakes - Prosperous
Money - Wealthy
Ruler/Scissors - Talented with their hands

Keep in mind that this is just a fun way to celebrate your child's first birthday. It is also fun to keep a memento from that birthday such as the piece of paper or the dollar bill that your child selected. Then when they are grown up you can bring those items out and remind them about their first birthday party.

Everyone in my family has done the Tol. My brother selected a dollar, my sister selected a rice cake and I selected a pencil. This is a fun and memorable way to celebrate a joyous and wonderful time in your child's life.