Happy lunar new year!
February 7, 2008 6:58 PM Subscribe
Celebrate by wearing your best hanbok!
Like Paris Hilton. Or Venus Williams. Or random Korean celebs. Don't forget to dress the dog!
Koreans wear traditional dress, hanbok, during the holidays and for major events such as weddings or funerals. Designers continue to reinterpret it, while colorful variations on styles of centuries past make their way to films and TV.
The movie is Untold Scandal, the TV drama is Hwang Jin Yi.
I want one that says "Be The Reds" on it...
posted by bugmuncher at 7:33 PM on February 7, 2008
posted by bugmuncher at 7:33 PM on February 7, 2008
I wonder how annoyed other nationalities/ethnic groups who celebrate the lunar new year get pissed off seeing it only called Chinese New Year.
Well, the calendar does come from China originally, as do many of the fundamental building blocks of Northeast Asian culture. Hanji/kanji writing, for example, is often called 'Chinese script'.
It would be kind of like Westerner's getting annoyed our calendar is called 'Gregorian' or that we use 'Arabic' numerals. Or 'Roman' ones.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:49 PM on February 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Well, the calendar does come from China originally, as do many of the fundamental building blocks of Northeast Asian culture. Hanji/kanji writing, for example, is often called 'Chinese script'.
It would be kind of like Westerner's getting annoyed our calendar is called 'Gregorian' or that we use 'Arabic' numerals. Or 'Roman' ones.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:49 PM on February 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
I wonder how annoyed other nationalities/ethnic groups who celebrate the lunar new year get pissed off seeing it only called Chinese New Year.
The trick is to "brand" your nationality's Lunar New Year like the Vietnamese have done with Tết. So here in San Francisco we have New Year, Chinese New Year, and Tết.
posted by junesix at 8:03 PM on February 7, 2008
The trick is to "brand" your nationality's Lunar New Year like the Vietnamese have done with Tết. So here in San Francisco we have New Year, Chinese New Year, and Tết.
posted by junesix at 8:03 PM on February 7, 2008
I think it's because of the way the hanbok places the waist so high up, but I don't think it's very flattering. Tiny little upper body, HUGE lower body.
posted by 1adam12 at 8:17 PM on February 7, 2008
posted by 1adam12 at 8:17 PM on February 7, 2008
Sometimes I wear a tuxedo on New Year's Eve. Just like Im Kwon Taek, Mamoru Chiba or Jackie Chan.
posted by billtron at 8:21 PM on February 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by billtron at 8:21 PM on February 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Quality editing. I've tried wearing handbooks, but I looked too preppie.
posted by estelahe at 8:58 PM on February 7, 2008
posted by estelahe at 8:58 PM on February 7, 2008
"Usher is totally crazy about Korean culture. He spent hours in the shop asking questions about the designs and accessories"
posted by billtron at 9:13 PM on February 7, 2008
posted by billtron at 9:13 PM on February 7, 2008
Eh. (or should that be a meh?) I'm ethnically Cantonese but I call it Lunar New Year as a matter of specificity and precision.
Besides, in Chinese, it's called "New Years." Gregorian Calendar followers call January 01 "New Years." Lunar New Year is superior, imho, than the rather arbitary Gregorian NY.
I'm tied between Solstice being the "New Year" and the Lunar New Year being the new year, though. Arguments for practicality goes both ways.
posted by porpoise at 9:47 PM on February 7, 2008
Besides, in Chinese, it's called "New Years." Gregorian Calendar followers call January 01 "New Years." Lunar New Year is superior, imho, than the rather arbitary Gregorian NY.
I'm tied between Solstice being the "New Year" and the Lunar New Year being the new year, though. Arguments for practicality goes both ways.
posted by porpoise at 9:47 PM on February 7, 2008
The chosun article refers to a "handbook" throughout. Did someone diligently spellcheck but fail to inform their software that 'hanbok' was indeed a valid word?
posted by davemee at 1:34 AM on February 8, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by davemee at 1:34 AM on February 8, 2008 [1 favorite]
I've always wanted to go to a nail salon and get me one of those Korean hanjobs.
here in San Francisco we have New Year, Chinese New Year, and Tết.
Don't people find the Tet offensive?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:47 AM on February 8, 2008 [1 favorite]
here in San Francisco we have New Year, Chinese New Year, and Tết.
Don't people find the Tet offensive?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:47 AM on February 8, 2008 [1 favorite]
gofugyourself significantly fails to recognise a hanbok
posted by davemee at 1:47 AM on February 8, 2008
posted by davemee at 1:47 AM on February 8, 2008
Ah, the memories. My mother used to dress me up in a hanbok on special occasions (usually Christmas) when I was still too young to get away from her. It was a pants, shirt, and vest combo, bright green, red and blue, with lots of golden yellow embroidery and multicolored tassels. Then she would take pictures. Great and terrible memories. I think this weekend I might bust out the pickaxe and torch and see if I can find some of those pictures in my closet.
posted by effwerd at 5:11 AM on February 8, 2008
posted by effwerd at 5:11 AM on February 8, 2008
Hey thanks for this. I always pictured my old hanbok from when I was a kid: bright red top, bright green bottom, gold embroidery everywhere, scratchy itchy shiny hot... *shudder* But the modern examples with new textures and prints really make it interesting again!
posted by like_neon at 5:13 AM on February 8, 2008
posted by like_neon at 5:13 AM on February 8, 2008
My favorite image of someone wearing a Hanbok is that of Queen Min(Last Queen of Korea). There was a defiance to it, like she was telling the colonizers to "fuck off" before they assassinated her.
posted by cazoo at 8:54 AM on February 8, 2008
posted by cazoo at 8:54 AM on February 8, 2008
effwerd: What? for Christmas??? So you had to put with wearing hanbok and didn't get any cash money for your efforts? I think the New Year's Day cash loot is the only reason why some kids put up with being dressed in hanbok ...
like_neon: are you sure it wasn't green top and red bottom? That's the more usual color combination. Yeah, I share bad memories of kiddie hanbok, but really changed my mind about it when I got some proper hanbok made to measure a couple of years ago. The fit and quality of the fabric (and proper undergarments) definitely make a difference in one's hanbok experience. Something I noticed is that the colors aren't as garish any more - some eye-popping colors are used in current hanbok, but it's a more sophisticated color palette and usage, instead of just sticking all kinds of bright colors together in one outfit.
posted by needled at 2:13 PM on February 8, 2008
like_neon: are you sure it wasn't green top and red bottom? That's the more usual color combination. Yeah, I share bad memories of kiddie hanbok, but really changed my mind about it when I got some proper hanbok made to measure a couple of years ago. The fit and quality of the fabric (and proper undergarments) definitely make a difference in one's hanbok experience. Something I noticed is that the colors aren't as garish any more - some eye-popping colors are used in current hanbok, but it's a more sophisticated color palette and usage, instead of just sticking all kinds of bright colors together in one outfit.
posted by needled at 2:13 PM on February 8, 2008
effwerd: What? for Christmas??? So you had to put with wearing hanbok and didn't get any cash money for your efforts?
Heh. I'm sure she might have dressed me up for new years once or twice but most of what I can recall was during xmas, I remember the colors seemed to match the rest of the season. And I definitely don't remember any money. It was 35 years ago so I might just be remembering it wrong. I'm definitely going to ask her about it on my weekend call.
And like_neon's "scratchy itchy shiny hot" description brought back a flood of those sensory memories, too, along with the swishing noises. Thanks for that ;).
posted by effwerd at 3:02 PM on February 8, 2008
Heh. I'm sure she might have dressed me up for new years once or twice but most of what I can recall was during xmas, I remember the colors seemed to match the rest of the season. And I definitely don't remember any money. It was 35 years ago so I might just be remembering it wrong. I'm definitely going to ask her about it on my weekend call.
And like_neon's "scratchy itchy shiny hot" description brought back a flood of those sensory memories, too, along with the swishing noises. Thanks for that ;).
posted by effwerd at 3:02 PM on February 8, 2008
I think these are beautiful. Thanks.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 9:24 PM on February 8, 2008
posted by ethnomethodologist at 9:24 PM on February 8, 2008
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posted by klangklangston at 7:25 PM on February 7, 2008