Tine and Thread: my son's first birthday

I blinked my eyes and my son turned a year old this May. When people say that time goes by quickly with babies, it's SO true.

My husband is Korean, so it was important to me to honor my son's Korean heritage by giving him a Korean first birthday, called a dol.

For those of you that aren't too familiar with the tradition, first birthdays in Korea are a big event. In the past, disease and malnutrition caused high infant mortality rates. When a baby made it to his/her first birthday, it was cause for celebration. I personally love the tradition.

Family and friends gather together, pray for the child and share food. The main event of the dol, called the dol janchi, is a game telling the child's future as an adult. Several items are placed in front of the baby and he/she chooses one. Whatever item is choosen symbolically foretells his/her future. For my son, we let him chose between a computer mouse, a pen, money, rice and the Bible. If he chose the pen, the tradition is that he will be a scholar as an adult. The mouse is for a computer genius, rice means an abundant life and the Bible means a minister.

It took many months of planning, but it was truly a labor of love. I enjoyed every second:

(All photos by Laura Izumikawa Photography)