U.S. envoy extends invite to son’s first birthday
Mark Lippert
Lippert posted a New Year’s greeting on his blog to give readers a personal update.
“This January is an important time for our family as it will be Sejun’s first birthday. I am very excited to celebrate this special moment in his life with family and friends in the Korean style!” he wrote.
“As so many of you have been such wonderful online friends, I wanted to share this special event and invite a few of my blog readers, Twitter followers and Facebook friends to Sejun’s first birthday party,” he said.
The ambassador asked readers to predict what his son will grab for the doljabi event and what it will mean for his future.
Doljabi is a traditional Korean ceremony carried out during a child’s first birthday party. In this fortune-telling ritual, objects such as string, brushes, rice and money are placed in front of the child, and he or she is encouraged to pick one up. The item chosen is presumed to foretell the baby’s future.
Each item has significance; for example, string indicates longevity, while the brushes foretell that the child will grow up to be smart.
The readers are encouraged to send answers through Lippert’s social media pages as well as the Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
“We will contact the selected guests individually to inform them about the date and location,” an embassy official said. “We don’t know how many will be selected, but it won’t be easy to invite a lot [due to space limitations].”
James William Sejun Lippert was born on Jan. 19, 2015, in Korea. After consulting a traditional Korean fortune-teller, the newborn was given the Korean middle name Sejun, which roughly means “honest, insightful and talented.”
The Lipperts celebrated the 100th day of Sejun’s life on April 25, 2015, with a traditional Korean ceremony.
BY SER MYO-JA [ser.myoja@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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