Kate's Toljabee

Our little girl is going to be a scholar!

Just like her Mommy!

LOL!

So part of the first-birthday tradition in Korean culture is the toljabee--during which, the birthday child chooses from several items that are laid out in front of him or her. The items represent various professions, and whatever the child chooses is said to foretell the path he or she will take in life.

Kate had several things from which to choose: a Bible (ministry), pen (scholar/academics), a computer (technology), a digital recorder (journalist), a knee-knocker (don't know the medical term--sorry, Honey!) (doctor), a camera (photographer), a spatula (chef), money (accountant/finance), crayons (artist), hair bows (hair stylist/model). There are other objects that are more traditional in their symbolism (such as thread signifying long life, etc.), but you can also tailor it to your family or backgrounds. I think it's a pretty neat custom to follow for fun.

For Kate's 100-day birthday, we had a dry run of this tradition. Here is a pic:

So on her 100-day birthday, Kate chose the cat. Which means that maybe she will be a vet. I certainly hope it doesn't mean that she'll be an old maid with 100 cats running around her house. LOL! If you want, you can read what Tanna wrote about her 100-day celebration last year.

We had a bit of miscommunication regarding Kate's toljabee at her birthday party. I was thinking that we would have a small table to use for the ceremony (which is customary--the items are usually laid out on a low table in front of the child). But we didn't, so we just put the items on the floor and let Kate go for it. She went straight for the pen, which apparently means she will succeed in academics. Perhaps she'll be a writer? It was a cute little pen that I bought in Korea when we visited a few years ago. :o) After that, she went for the toy computer (on loan from Riley--thanks, Girl!).

Incidentally, we actually had the cat--the same cat she chose on her 100-day celebration--at the birthday party, but somehow it didn't make it on the floor with the other options. You can even see it on a table in the background of some of the photos. I brought it specifically to see if she would choose it again. Oh well ... Maybe she will be a scholarly veterinarian.

Last year, my sister found these cute little blocks on Red Envelope's Web site. They are little alphabet blocks, and they offer a modern twist on the toljabee tradition. Each block features a letter and a corresponding occupation. I actually wanted to use these on Kate's 100-day birthday--but after searching and searching, I couldn't find them. The ice-cream cake kind of melted as a result. :o( Turns out, I had left them at my sister's house by accident. Oooops. So we just improvised and used stuff from around the house.

Anyway, back to the blocks. I was sure to have them for Kate's first birthday. We didn't use them at the party, but we busted them out on her actual b-day. They are really cute, too. She has enjoyed playing with them since. This is kind of interesting, considering the cat choice from last year (and the fact that I accidentally left the cat out of the party toljabee) ... Kate chose the vet block!

Hmmmmmmmmm ... maybe she really will be a vet? I guess we'll see ...