Korean culture on full display as Thai-Korean pair get married traditional style
A Korean-Thai couple got married in a traditional wedding ceremony that was replete with traditional Korean culture and costumes.
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Thailand and the Korean Cultural Centre in Thailand held the ceremony at Korean Town in Bangkok on Friday.
They aimed to showcase Korean culture through the traditional wedding ceremony and promote closer relations between Thailand and South Korea.
The wedding ceremony began with the groom, Shin Yun-sup, entering behind a procession of Suljanggu (Korean double-headed drum) performance and lit-up candles. Upon arrival, the groom presented a wild goose to the bride’s mother, as they symbolise fidelity in Korean culture.
Soon after, the bride made her entrance and the couple bowed before each other. The bride and groom took vows to live happily and promised to be each other’s better half. They then shared a cup of traditional liquor.
The groom’s aide tied a red thread on her left hand and the bridesmaid tied a blue thread on her right hand. This ritual in Korean culture symbolises two persons from two families finally becoming one.
After the Korean ritual led by South Korea’s ambassador to Thailand, the couple took part in the “Rod-Naam-Sang”, which is the Thai wedding ceremony of pouring water on the couple’s hands and uttering words of blessing.
After the ceremonies, Kim Hyun-ji, the Korean Cultural Centre's instructor, and members of the Korean traditional music club sang “Gasibesi Sarang” to celebrate the couple's wedding. The song is full of wishes for the couple to live together for a long time.
The couple, Shin Yun-sup and Natcha were selected from numerous applications for the first Korean traditional wedding.
The bride Natcha revealed that they had a registered marriage in March 2021 but they wanted to have a traditional Korean wedding. They both wrote 30 pages each to make their case to the centre, including their love story.
She said the most exciting part was when their mothers threw a couple of chickens up in the air. She added that Hanbok, the Korean traditional costumes, were beautiful.
She thought the Korean wedding ceremony focused more on the parents and senior relatives.
Natcha said that they also planned to hold the ceremony in South Korea for the groom’s parents and relatives.
Moon Seoung-Hyun, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Thailand, said, “It was the first time, but I would like to say that there will be many more of these kinds of ceremonies so that we can bring people closer together.”
Moon added that Thai and Korean ceremonies are similar. The “Janchi-guksu” (banquet noodles) are traditionally eaten at Korean weddings, which symbolise longevity in life and marriage. Meanwhile, sticky rice is usually eaten at Thai weddings, which symbolise that new couples will be closer together throughout their lives.
