Hanbok2: Traditional3 Korean Dress
The women's hanbok has a wraparound4 skirt and bolero5—like jacket. The men's consists of a short jacket and pants.
Both garments may be topped with a long coat of a similar cut. Now, people wear hanbok mostly on festivals or for ceremonies6 such as a wedding or funeral7.
Kimchi8
Kimchi represents9 Korea's best known food. Koreans serve kimchi at almost every meal, and few Koreans can last more than a few days before cravings10 get the better of11 them. During the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, thousands of foreigners were introduced to it for the first time. Despite a reputation for being spicy12, most people usually develop a taste for it, and many foreigners also find themselves missing it after returning to their home country.
Traditional Wedding
In Korea, the marriage between a man and woman represents the joining of two families, rather than the joining of two people. As such, the event was often called Great Ritual13, and people from all over participated14. Rooted in traditional Confucian15 values, the ceremonies and events surrounding the actual marriage were long and elaborate16, from the pairing of the couple to the rituals performed after the ceremony.
Professional17 matchmakers18 paired up likely candidates19 for marriage, with the new couple often meeting for the first time at their wedding! The families considered many factors20 in the decision, discussing with fortune tellers21 for predictions22 about the couple's future life together. During the Chosun23 period, people married in their early teens, with the girl often being several years older than the boy.
The groom24 usually traveled to the house of the bride25 for the ceremony, then stayed there for three days before taking his new bride to his family's home. The actual ceremony has many small rituals, with many bows and symbolic gestures26. The participants were expected to control their emotions and remain somber27.
Although Koreans have kept several aspects of the traditional ceremony, most modern ceremonies resemble28 Western marriage ceremonies more than traditional Korean ones. However, many folk villages and museums across the country regularly perform29 ceremonies to keep the traditions alive.
The Child＇s First Birthday
In the past, due to a lack of medical information, Korea's seasonal temperature differences, and many childhood related diseases30, the death rate for children was very high. Many children died before their first birthday. After the age of one year, the survival31 rate quickly increased, making this point a very happy one for the child's parents. It has also been a custom to celebrate32 a child's 100-day birthday. It's called Tol33 celebration.
In modern times, due to the improvements in medicine, the influence of Western culture, and modern industrialization34, the reasons for the Tol celebration have been reduced. However, the event35 is still celebrated as a time of congratulations for the parents and family.
In the modern Tol, taking picture is an important part of the event. As many Korean homes are very small, many families rent a room in a banquet36 hall. The modern celebration includes the child's parents' greeting guests, lighting candles on a birthday cake, the Toljabee37 event, and a toast.
Masks38 and Mask Dance-Dramas39
Masks are traditionally made of paper, wood, gourd40 and fur. They mostly show the expressions and bone structures41 of Korean faces but some represent deities42 and animals, real or imagined. Their shapes are grotesque43 and greatly exaggerated44, because the mask dance-drama was usually performed at night in the light from wood fires.
Mask dance-dramas are basically a folk art which naturally developed among the common people of the Joseon45 era46.
In most cases, the actors and spectators47 joined together in robust48 dance at the end of a performance.
(From Shenzhen Daily)
韩服：韩国传统的民族服装
女式韩服为长裙和开襟短上衣，形似夹克；男式韩服则是短褂配长裤。
男女式韩服外均可套上款式相近的长袍。现在人们主要在节日或在婚礼、葬礼等重要的仪式上才穿韩服。
韩国泡菜
泡菜是韩国最知名的食品。韩国人几乎每餐必吃泡菜。没了泡菜，韩国人可能真是“食之无味”了。1988年汉城夏季奥运会时，成千上万的外国游客第一次品尝了韩国泡菜。尽管韩国泡菜以辛辣著称，但很多人还是喜欢上了它。许多外国游客回国后还念念不忘韩国泡菜。
传统婚礼
在韩国，男女之间的婚姻与其说是两个人的结合，不如说是两个家庭的融合。因此，婚礼常被称为“大礼”，亲戚朋友会从各地赶来参加。受传统儒家文化的影响，婚礼以及相关的仪式过程漫长而琐碎，包括从双方碰面到婚礼后的活动。
有经验的媒人善于给到了结婚年龄的人穿针引线，而新人往往是在婚礼上才初次见面！在婚姻这件事的抉择上，家人要考虑很多因素，甚至要找算命师推算一下两个人未来的生活是否幸福。在封建时代，人们十几岁就结婚，女方一般会比男方大几岁。
新郎通常要先在新娘家举行婚礼，并在那里住三天后才把新娘子带回自己家。婚礼大典由很多小的仪式构成，包括许多叩头和象征性的姿势。参加婚礼的人必须控制自己的情绪，保持严肃。
尽管保留了传统婚礼的一些特点，但大多数的现代韩式婚礼更像西方婚礼。不过，农村和各地博物馆定期举行传统婚礼仪式，使得这一传统得以承传下来。
孩子的百天生日
过去，韩国由于缺少医疗常识、四季温差大以及儿童易患多种疾病等原因，儿童死亡率很高。许多儿童未满周岁就夭折了。但满周岁后的儿童，存活率却迅速提高。因此，孩子的周岁生日对父母来说是一个令人高兴的日子。在韩国，庆祝儿童的百天生日也成了一个传统，称作“百日庆祝”。
现在，随着医疗水平的提高，西方文化的影响，现代工业化的完成，人们很少再举行百日庆典。但作为对父母和家庭的祝福，人们还是在孩子百日庆典时举行庆祝活动。
现代百日庆典会的一个重要项目是拍照。韩国的很多家庭住房很小，他们大多会租一个宴会房间。生日会时，孩子的父母要迎客，点燃百日庆典蛋糕的蜡烛，孩子要抓周，然后大家还要相互祝酒。
面具和面具舞
韩国的传统面具由纸、木、葫芦和毛皮制成，主要表现韩国人面部的表情和骨骼构造，也有真实或想象的神与动物的造型。由于面具舞剧经常是夜晚在篝火旁表演，所以面具形状多是奇形怪状的，非常夸张。
面具舞剧其实是韩国的一种民间艺术，由德藏时代平民百姓的表演中自然产生、发展而来。
在多数场合，当表演临近尾声时，观众和演员会一起跳起刚劲的舞蹈。
1. symbol n．符号, 记号
2． hanbok n．韩服
3． traditional adj．传统的, 惯例的
4． wraparound adj．包着的
5． bolero n．一种开口的女用短上衣
6． ceremony n．典礼, 仪式
7． funeral n．葬礼, 出殡
8． Kimchi n．（韩语）韩式泡菜
9． represent v．象征
10． craving n．渴望
11． get the better of 打败, 取胜
12． spicy adj．辛辣的
13． ritual n．典礼, (宗教)仪式
14． participate v．参与, 参加
15． Confucian adj．孔子的, 儒家的
16． elaborate adj．精致的，精巧的
17． professional adj．专业的, 职业的
18． matchmaker n．媒人
19． candidate n．候选人
20． factor n．因素, 要素
21． fortune teller 算命者
22． prediction n．预言, 预报
23． Chosun n．(韩语)封建时代
24． groom [grum] n．马夫, 新郎
25． bride [braid] n．新娘
26． gesture n．姿态, 手势
27． somber adj．忧郁的，郁闷的
28． resemble v．象, 类似
29． perform v．履行, 执行
30． disease n．疾病, 弊病
31． survival n．生存, 幸存
32． celebrate v．庆祝, 祝贺
33． Tol n．(韩语)百日庆祝
34． industrialization n． 工业化, 产业化
35． event n．事件, 事变
36． banquet n．宴会
37． Toljabee n．(韩语) 抓周（在桌子上抓自己喜欢的东西，显示孩子未来的方向）
38． mask n．面具
39． dance－drama n．舞蹈剧
40． gourd n．葫芦
41． structure n．结构
42． deity n．神, 神性
43． grotesque adj．奇形怪状的, 奇异
44． exaggerated adj．夸大的, 言过其实的
45． Joseon n．(韩语) 德藏时代
46． era n．时代, 纪元
47． spectator n．观众
48． robust adj．精力充沛的