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Each culture has its own unique and significant traditions. Among various rituals, birthday customs tend to be the most enjoyable, often involving gifts, delicious food, and well-wishes. While everyone can celebrate their birthday as they choose, adding a touch of tradition (whether personal or cultural) makes the day even more memorable.
As people grow more interested in Korean culture, here's a fact you might not know. Koreans have a custom of savouring seaweed soup, or miyeok-guk, on their birthdays. What's intriguing about this dish is that it's not just part of their culture, but also has a connection to health.
Seaweed Soup Is A Symbol Of Motherhood
For Koreans, the seaweed soup signifies motherhood and has a deeper connection with birth. It is among the first few dishes a new mom reportedly consumes after giving birth. People believe that this practice dates back centuries because seaweed has healing properties that help the woman recover after childbirth.
Seaweed Soup Has Health Benefits
In Korean culture and traditional medicine, seaweed is associated with many health benefits. It is considered to improve the overall well being. With new mothers, people believe that it helps with lactation as well. Hence, it is considered good for consumption, especially on one’s birthday. According to a study published by Marine Drugs in August 2018, seaweeds offer a good supply of protein, carbohydrates, and fibre. They are also rich sources of vitamins A, B, C, and E, iodine, and iron.
Seaweed Soup Brings Good Omen
With its health benefits and connection with childbirth, seaweed soup is associated with good luck among Koreans. They believe that consuming the soup on their special day will bring prosperity. It is also associated with longevity and healthy life. It is similar to how Indians have a tradition of taking blessings from God, applying tilak on their heads, and eating something sweet on their birthdays for good luck and prosperity.
Seaweed Soup Pays Tribute To Mothers
Since mothers drink it after giving birth, consuming miyeok-guk is also associated with honouring the one who brought you into this world. It is symbolic of the pain she went through to nurture a child and birth to them. The seaweed soup signifies the hardships of a mother in raising her child and her selfless care. Consuming it is a tribute to the one who always loves you and cares for you.
Drinking Seaweed Soup Is A Cultural Practice
Ask any Korean, and they will tell you that they remember drinking miyeok-guk on their birthday as far as they remember. It is a long-standing practice that has passed through generations, and hence, is now a significant part of the culture. A popular Korean influencer, Tressumi Stephanie Kim, lives in America and shares fun facts about Korean culture and the language. She posted a reel on her birthday in which the spread included the seaweed soup.
