Culture

A downer day

OK, I have to admit that I am not a happy camper this evening.  The day was trying.  Not much went right.  I finished a lot of work, yet it still keeps piling up.  Whenever I write this blog, I’m either usually in a good mood or pretend to be in a good mood.  I’ll admit that today is just a downer day.  We all have them.  One hopes that there are more happy, positive days than not.  Unless you are under duress or blissfully ignorant, you’re bound to have both good days and bad days.  Perhaps the only people who are perpetually unhappy are those who are imprisoned in gulags and prison camps.  Today, walking to lunch in the freezing cold, I thought about the estimated 200,000 North Koreans imprisoned in gulags north of the DMZ.  The thought woke me up to a unsettling reality.  I may be unhappy today, but I do not really have a reason to complain.  My life is absolutely blissfully compared to the horrendous ordeal of gulag prisoners.
 
So, what happened?  Oh, a nasty comment and a cold shoulder by a couple of people today initially put me in a foul mood.  I do my best not to take them personally, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow.  Most days I try to shrug it off, but today I couldn’t help but dwell on them.  My life is surrounded by perpetual competitiveness, and sometimes competition rears its ugly head.  I’m competitive by nature, as are most people around me, but I don’t appreciate when competition creates social tension.  I prefer to believe that there is enough room in this world for everyone, and when we work together, we achieve a better outcome.  Sometimes someone else wins, but you can be happy for them and still be successful yourself.  For example, only one person wins a road race, but everyone who finishes can be happy knowing that they crossed the finish line.  Life does not have to be a zero-sum game.
 
At the same time, I also realize that in this competitive environment, you are inevitably responsible for your own success and excellence.  However, success should not come at the expense of other people’s livelihoods.  The comment and cold shoulder were byproducts of jealousy and mistrust in a very competitive atmosphere.  I really wish we could all get along and realize that we don’t always have to be so competitive.  We all have strengths we can use for the greater good.  I’m an intuitive thinker who innovates, but I am not good at inspiring others to embrace these innovations or defending my position.  That leads to tension and failure.  I know my limitations, and that is where I know others excel.  Let them excel, but don’t excel at my expense.  If I had to choose one aspect of this lifestyle I dislike the most, it’s the incessant competition and drive to be successful, even when it comes at the expense of your peers.  It obviously tends to foster an unpleasant atmosphere…and make you unhappy. 
 
Blog Notes:  You may be wondering the significance of my last blog entry.  I didn’t have much time to write last night, so the thought crossed my mind that I should write the shortest blog entry in the ever-expanding blogosphere.  I have no idea if I succeeded!  Perhaps, Dear Reader, you can tell me.  The subject shouldn’t count–just the content.  In case you wondered what "Oh" meant, the trite phrase served as a response to the title statement.  Believe it or not, I spent about five minutes figuring out what to write, thinking, "Hmm, what is the shortest word that still sounds profound?"  You didn’t see the thought process behind the final product.  "OK" made the final round, as did the word, "Bye."  I figured that if I wrote the word "Bye," some readers would wonder whether I planned to stop writing.  "Oh" carried the day.  "Oh" is an exclamation of discovery and understanding.  It’s the shortest, most thoughtful, content-laden word that crossed my mind.  And it took me an entire paragraph to explain!

Luciadagen

Tonight my attention turns from Korea to Sweden and Swedish culture.  My wife’s coworker invited us to join them today for a St. Lucia’s Day celebration at the Seoul Club sponsored by the Swedish Women’s Education Association (SWEA).  We had a great time, met some nice Swedes, and came away with a few prizes.  You can’t beat that.

What is Luciadagen (Swedish), or St. Lucia’s Day?  Here is a synopsis of Luciadagen by Bill Petro, another blogger:

In Sweden, December 13 is Luciadagen, or St. Lucia’s Day.  It is the beginning of their holiday season.  St. Lucia was a young woman who lived in first century Rome.  She was a Christian who would not give up her faith to marry an unbeliever.  She was tortured and killed by order of the Roman Emperor, Diocletian.Stories of her courage were brought to Sweden by missionaries where she became known as the Lucia Bride [Lussi or Lussibruden].  Old people said the Lucia Bride would go out early in the morning to bring food and drink to the poor.  She wore white robes and a crown of light.The story is acted out in Swedish homes with the oldest daughter playing the Lucia Bride.  Early in the morning on December 13, she brings her parents a tray of sweet saffron buns [

Lussekattor] and some coffee.  She wears a white gown and a crown of greens, often made of holly.  Her sisters and brothers dress in white and follow her.  The girls carry lit candles and the boys wear tall, pointed caps and are called “star boys.”St. Lucia is also honored in Sicily, where she was born.  Christians there gather to celebrate her day with bonfires and torchlight parades…a fitting celebration since Lucia means “light.”

I should also add a few other interesting tidbits about the holiday, which is celebrated by both Swedes and Norwegians.  To many Scandinavians, St. Lucia’s Day serves as the advent of the winter holiday season.  In Swedish lore, St. Lucia symbolizes winter and rivals Santa Claus (Jultomte) in stature.  I find it intriguing that although St. Lucia was actually from Sicily, she is honored in Scandinavia as well as in Sicily.  Reputedly executed by Emperor Diocletian on December 13, A.D. 303, her final resting place is in the Church of Santa Lucia in Venice, Italy.  Although some claim that St. Lucia visited Sweden, this is highly unlikely unless her potential suitor was of Viking origin.  I believe that Scandinavia, with its emphasis on egalitarianism, embraced the celebration in order to honor the role of women in Swedish society.  The fact that it became a Swedish national holiday in the 1920’s underscores this assumption.

It is also interesting to note that girls no longer wear lit candles during the holiday because of a few Michael Jackson-esque accidents in which head and hair frequently burned.  Apparently, nowadays crowns of candles are battery powered.

We had a great time tonight at the St. Lucia’s Day celebration.  The event started with a narrative about the holiday.  I’m glad that the language spoken was English, not Swedish.  Then, a procession led by a girl adorned with acrown of battery-powered candles representing St. Lucia marched to the front of the room.  They sang a medley of beautiful holiday songs in Swedish.  When the performance ended, we enjoyed glögg, lussekatten and other pastries, and European coffee. The children joined Santa Claus for a photo op, and I took my son up to stand next to Santa. Unfortunately, he was too scared to sit on Santa’s lap. The evening ended with a raffle. It went on for over an hour. We walked away with a pearl necklace and a gift pack of crispy bread and three kinds of herring. My wife will thoroughly enjoy both gifts. The evening put us all in a festive spirit. I posted some photos of the event as well as a photo of Seoul Tower lit up for the holidays. Enjoy!

From the “Things the Make You Go…Hmm” Department: Surely I’m not the only person who finds it ironic that someone named Bush won the Heisman Trophy (Reggie Bush, USC), beating out a player from Texas (Vince Young, University of Texas). Then again, sports and politics make strange bedfellows.

100-day birthday celebration

We spent the evening at a friend’s place celebrating his son’s 100th day birthday.  My friend is a World Adventurers reader, so I’m sure he’ll read this post.  He’s welcome to post a comment, but I’ll leave it to him to reveal his identity.  He’s always good for a quicky witted, pithy comeback, so I’m sure he’ll take the bait.  Yesterday I told him we planned to bring gifts for the entire family, but he protested, “Please don’t buy any gifts if you haven’t already.  I feel guilty [taking gifts].”  Well now, let’s see.  Although he is American and his wife is Georgian, true to Korean custom they threw a 100-day celebration (Baek-il, or 백일) for their son.  As is Korean custom, guests should come bearing gifts whenever they are invited over to someone’s home.  Therefore, our friends must accept our gifts with glad hearts.  I also bribed them with some cilantro, which they have had difficulty finding in Korea. 
 
I did a little research to understand why the 100-day celebration is such a significant milestone in a child’s life.  The 100-day celebration is also observed in Chinese culture; it is virtually unheard of in western cultures.   Baek-il is the second of three events in a child’s first year of life celebrating his or her continued health.  According to Korean tradition, these events should only be celebrated if the child is healthy.  The first event, the 21-day celebration, celebrates the child’s first 21 days of life.  It is not as well known as Baek-il because at 21 days the child and mother are traditionally confined to the home and are not allowed to see guests.  The child’s family members traditionally observe the day in absentia by praying for the child.  Baek-il is the official coming-out ceremony for most Korean child.  The child’s first birthday, or Tol (돌), is the third and perhaps most important of the three events.  Once the child passes their first birthday happy and healthy, it is very likely that they will live a longer life.  It’s easy to forget in this day and age that many of our cultural celebrations such as birthdays originated out of the need to survive.  Child mortality was very high in Korea until the 1960’s, and these celebrations are testaments to the fact that many Korean children did not live to see their first birthdays.
Now that you’re thoroughly depressed, let me share the happier side of these celebrations.  Baek-il and tol are opportunities for families to come together and meet the newest members of the clan.  It is often the impetus for family reunions, just as Chuseok (추석), a day to remember one’s ancestors, brings together Korean families every year.  These celebrations give families an excuse to share their bounty with family and friends.  They serve foods that are typically served only at special occasions, such as rice cakes, or deok (덕).  Food becomes even more significant on the child’s first birthday, when the child is seated in the midst of a variety of foods.  Korean tradition maintains that a child’s future will be determined by the first food that they touch.  (I wondered whether that led parents to game the system by putting the most desirable food closest to the child.)  Traditionally, the children have received money, gold trinkets, or clothing as gifts, although modern families may give more eloborate gifts such as toys or tech gadgets.  Thus, it is customary for guests to bear gifts to these types of events, just as we did.  If I didn’t, I couldn’t call myself Korean.  Oh wait, I’m not Korean.  That’s OK.  He better accept them anyway.
For more information on Korean birthday celebrations, visit:
 
 
Note to Quemino’s World:  Welcome back to Seattle.  I hear there’s been some snow in the area.  It was great meeting Alex and you for dinner and drinks in Busan.  I hope you had a great trip to Thailand…at least better than your last day in Busan!  Sorry to hear about the bummer ending to your APEC trip.  How did I blog during the APEC Summit?  Well, when you are stuck at a hotel near the airport, as far as you can get from the action, and you get back to your hotel room too late to do much, your family is five hours away, and the cable TV features one English channel but has an Internet connection, you cope by posting blog entries.  I’ll see you in July when we return to Seattle for a visit.