When moving into a new home or apartment, it’s pretty common to host a housewarming party. It’s a chance to show off the new home to friends and family, as well as a way to get settled. People all around the world have their own style of housewarming parties, but Korea’s is unique.
Korean Housewarming Parties: The Past
Korean housewarming parties originated in Korea as a way to thank the spirits for the move and to pray for peace, prosperity, and good luck for the family. The action of moving into a new home actually consisted of two parts, first a ritual to bless the house to bring prosperity known as Iptaekgosa (입택고사), and then a housewarming party, known as Jipdeuri (집들이).
Iptaekgosa is a ritual held before moving into a house with the purpose to bring well-being and wealth to the family, while also clearing out any evil spirits or bad luck that had accumulated in the location. In Korean folklore, Seongju is the guardian deity of the house, and he oversees all elements of the household, from the construction of the home to the protection of the family. Therefore it was important to bless the home by worshiping Seongju. A shaman would be brought in to conduct the ritual on an auspicious day, and food would be offered to Seongju and then placed into the corners of the house. If the family believed or followed a deity other than Seongju, a similar ritual would still be held, but changed to whatever specifications their deity required. Following the ritual, the new homeowners would host a housewarming party, inviting their closest friends and family to celebrate.
The housewarming party, called Jipdeuri (집들이) was a way to show off the house to friends and family. The homeowners would provide a feast, and guests would bring gifts. If embers from the old home were brought to the new home, then it was believed that the blessings would continue on in the new home, and it was also hoped that the energy from a vigorous fire would lead to the development of the family as well as bring good luck, so gifts related to fire were popular to give, such as matches and candles.
Housewarming Parties: The Now
While the shamanistic rituals of Korea are not as prevalent anymore, Korean superstitions are still widely believed in today. Timing
is key when moving, as moving on certain days could bring bad luck or cause evil spirits to follow the family to the new home. Some Koreans and moving companies will wait until an auspicious day to move, as determined by a specific calendar, but if that isn’t possible, then people will leave their old homes a little messy so evil spirits will think the family is still there and not follow them. Similarly, once a family moves in, the home is cleaned in order to remove any lingering spirits.
When a family moves in, they host a housewarming party and invite their close friends and family. The hosts provide food, and the guests bring gifts. All around the world food is traditionally gifted as a housewarming gift. In Europe, bread, honey, and sugar are popular, while pomegranates are popular in Greece, and cooking oil or snacks are popular in the United States. However, Korea is different in this regard, as housewarming gifts tend to be utilitarian.
Toilet paper (hyuji or 휴지) is the predominant housewarming gift in Korea. There are several meanings associated with toilet paper, with one such example being that toilet paper is long, so prosperity will also last a long time. Another meaning is that the gift giver is wishing the recipient to have luck come to them as easily as paper unrolls from the roll.
Laundry detergent and other cleaners are also good gifts because they help the family keep their home clean. Back when cleaning supplies were expensive, detergents and the like were meaningful gifts. In addition, many cleaning supplies like detergents tend to bubble, and with bubbles symbolizing money and prosperity, the gift giver is hoping the resident’s wealth will also ‘bubble over’.
Housewarming Parties
Housewarming parties have changed a lot over time, but at their core they exist to welcome a family into their new home. Food and drinks are shared, and gifts exchanged. Whether the gift is food or toilet paper, these special gifts are a way to wish the homeowners a happy life in their new home.