#KOREAN LUNAR NEW YEAR CLOTHING HOW TO#

The little Korean girl wakes up and it’s Lunar New Year. Given the dearth of children's stories about Korean New Year, the appearance of this gem - originally published in Korea, and translated here - is particularly welcome! Many thanks to my goodreads friend, Kathryn, for making me aware of it! A brief afterword gives more details, both about general New Year's celebrations in Korea, and about each specific piece of clothing mentioned in the story. The overall effect is simply charming, communicating both the girl's delight in her beautiful new clothing, and a sense of the importance of the day. Others feature beautiful two-page illustrations, with a painting of the little girl superimposed upon a colorful, motif-decorated background. Many of the two-page spreads feature a simple narrative, in which the girl puts on a piece of clothing, on one page, and a full-page illustration of the little girl - in all her sartorial splendor - on the other. I've done this myself, in thoughtless moments, so I was particularly glad to learn of Hyun-joo Bae's New Clothes for New Year's Day, a beautiful picture-book celebration of the Korean New Year, and the custom of dressing up in new and very special clothing that goes along with it.Ī little girl - cute as a button - dresses herself in all the traditional items of clothing, from a crimson wrap-around silk skirt to a rainbow-striped jacket, made by her mother for the New Year, in Bae's delightful picture-book celebration of this special day. In the spirit of celebrating life, love, and community, read on to hear how they rang in the Year of the Rabbit/Cat.Here in the USA - probably because there are more citizens of Chinese descent, than of any other Asian nation - we tend to refer to the lunar (or lunisolar) new year as 'Chinese New Year,' forgetting that it is a day that is celebrated in many cultures.

Everyone was eager to reconnect, as reflected in their plans for dinners and parties complete with special, lucky outfits chosen for the occasion. Togetherness was a big topic among the designers, stylists, and fashion people of Asian descent that Harper’s Bazaar spoke with last week. Houses were cleaned, new - preferably red - clothes were bought for the occasion, and family- and friend-filled parties and dinners, the most important aspect of the holiday, were back and bigger than ever. Now is the time to pull up and LOVE even more!” he wrote.Īnd indeed, it felt like traditions were embraced more enthusiastically this year. “Reminder: while we are processing this tragedy, we must also do our best to celebrate life, love, and community.

#KOREAN LUNAR NEW YEAR CLOTHING HOW TO#

Perhaps designer Phillip Lim described the emotional disconnect best in a recent Instagram post about how to reconcile grief with this joyous time.

Both animals signify peace, hope, and community, sentiments reflected in the large-scale celebrations from lion dances to fireworks displays held across the world.

The shock felt especially deep in contrast to the overwhelming sense of joy and excitement seen earlier in the week in celebrations meant to welcome an auspicious new year.Ģ023 is the Year of the Rabbit, or Cat in Vietnam. For many, the back-to-back incidents felt like a reminder that the recent rise in violence and racism against Asians in America hasn't gone away. The following day, reports of another California shooting emerged, this time among agriculture workers (many of them Chinese) in Half Moon Bay. On Sunday, as Asian-Americans across the country were observing the Lunar New Year, news broke of a tragic shooting in the Asian community of Monterey Park, California.

Korean lunar new year clothing