YU held an event to celebrate “Coming-of-Age Day” with international students.

Providing an opportunity to understand Korean culture by experiencing traditional Korean rituals at Folk Village

[May 17, 2024]

 At 10 a.m. on the 17th, foreigner students gathered at Gugyeseowon in YU Folk Village wearing traditional hanbok, hats, and hairpins. YU (President CHOI Oe-chool) prepared a traditional coming-of-age ceremony experience event with foreign students ahead of the 52nd ‘Coming-of-Age Day’ (the third Monday of May every year) on the 20th. At the traditional coming-of-age ceremony on this day, a total of eight male and female students, including six foreigner students from Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Myanmar wore the dopo and dangui and performed the “Gwanrye” and “gGyerye” ceremonies.

Gwanrye is a Korean traditional coming-of-age ceremony for male persons from 15 years to 20 years to wear topknots and crowns with invitation of high learning and virtue guests. Gyerye is a ceremony to declare adult girls by loosening the hair of young girls and by making ponytails with insertion of hairpins. Foreigner students wore Korean traditional clothes and enjoyed the coming-of-age ceremonies of Gwanrye and Gyerye. 

Quaque Johnson (second class master’s degree student at YU Park Chung-hee Graduate School of Saemaul) from Ghana participated in the customary ceremony and said, “It was a very interesting and enjoyable time to experience Korean traditional culture. I want to experience various Korean cultures and build many memories while studying abroad.”

Director Lee Eun-jeong of YU Museum, who hosted the coming-of-age ceremony on this day, said, “I hope that it will be an opportunity to think once again about the pride and responsibility of being an adult by directly experiencing Korean traditional rituals. Foreigner students would have a deeper understanding of Korean culture. I hope it will remain as a good memory during your time studying abroad.”