I remember the smell of the rice cakes. The feeling of family gathering in my parents' living room. The scratchy traditional outfit I had to wear. And the gifting of money, known as Sebaet-don.
As a kid, I'll admit, the money was my favourite part of Lunar New Year. And the food, of course.
I’m one of three boys. The middle child. As a second-generation Korean Canadian growing up in Richmond Hill, Ont., Lunar New Year was a big deal every year. We almost always gathered with our immediate family, but also sometimes with family friends we were close to. It was always at our house.
Our friends would come from Mississauga and it was really just about gathering and reuniting with one another at the same time every year.
Eating rice cakes and rice cake soup
There was always a lot of food. It was sometimes whatever my mom wanted to cook that day, but there were also staple items that we needed for Lunar New Year like rice cakes. There were plain ones and some that were filled with brown sugar and sesame seeds.
There was also rice cake soup — called Tteok-gook — which is the traditional food to have on Lunar New Year.
Exchanging good fortune with elders
As a child, the tradition was to pay my respects to my elders, put on what I thought was a very traditional, scratchy outfit called Hanbok, and do a bow. In exchange, I’d receive an envelope of money. It was a moment to pay my respects to my elders and wish them good fortune, health and all those things.
My grandparents usually went last, and that envelope tended to be a little bit thicker. I’d even watch my parents receive money from their elders — my grandparents. It wasn't until a little later in my life that I learned why we did this, a symbol of luck, respect and good fortune for the year ahead. My mom always took the money and kept it safe for us in our youth bank accounts.
As a kid, I remember thinking the Hanbok looked and felt a bit odd, but as I think about this traditional wear now, I am proud of its symbol and representation of Korean culture.
Evolving the way I celebrate Lunar New Year
Looking back now, I’ve come to appreciate the traditions my family kept alive, even though I was born in Canada. I think in a sense, we have evolved in how we celebrate these traditions a little bit. I don’t wear the Hanbok anymore, but I still l gather with my brothers to share a meal. The one key thing I will always do on Lunar New Year is to gather together with my friends and family to eat traditional foods and celebrate.
I want to teach my future kids the value of paying your respects to your elders and receiving recognition and good fortune in return, so that our family tradition stays strong over time.
I get to experience Lunar New Year every year at TD. The Bank hosts a gala and I’ve tried to go every year since 2016. It’s helped me learn a lot about other Asian cultures.
There's also the opportunity to reunite with colleagues that I’ve worked with in the past. There are some colleagues that I only see at the Lunar New Year gala, and it’s always a great time.
This year, as the co-Chair of the Greater Toronto Area chapter of the TD Korean Employee Network, I was part of the gala planning committee, and we collaborated with our peers in the TD Chinese and TD Vietnamese Employee Networks to incorporate both unique and shared traditions at the gala. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this all come together for this year's gala.
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