Behind the Myth: Gift-Giving Myths

Here in Korea we celebrate “White Day” on March 14. This  unofficial holiday comes a month after Valentine’s Day. On White Day, boyfriends and husbands give candy to their significant others (conversely, on Valentine’s Day it’s the women who give chocolates to the men).

Giving shoes as a gift to your loved one is a bad idea. It’s believed that when you do this, your lover will soon break up with you. They will “run away” via those new shoes you gifted them. What you can do is exchange a small amount of money for the shoes, such as 100 won. This way, it’s actually a purchase and not a gift. That may nullify the bad luck. However, there is no evidence that supports giving shoes as a good way to break up with your partner, either.

Ever get a handkerchief as a gift? It’s a very old if uncommon belief that giving a handkerchief as a gift is a way of saying “goodbye” to someone. Keep in mind that in Korea, opening gifts right away is frowned upon and may seem rude. Koreans prefer not to show emotions in public, so it’s wise to ask permission first before opening a gift in front of the giver. The thought behind that is the gift giver does not want to face the judgment of someone opening the gift in his or her presence. Interestingly, in western culture it’s considered rude to not open a gift when someone gives it to you.

It’s believed that red wallets will bring lots of money and good fortune. These days, the color of your wallet is not as important, but only a few years ago people preferred red wallets over other colors. Red wallets used to be common gifts. If you intend to give a wallet as a gift, make sure to put some money in it. 1,000 won or 10,000 won is sufficient and satisfies another level of giving good fortune. To go along with that, when giving back some kind of receptacle (such as a borrowed plastic container or cookie tin), it’s polite to fill it with food and not return it empty.

Speaking of good fortune, a great gift to give for a house warming is laundry detergent. The bubbles are a symbol of good luck.

Give the gift of red underwear. There is an old saying that one should buy red “long johns” for one’s parents after receiving the first paycheck from your first job. People tend to give other gifts to show appreciation to their parents, but the red long johns have an explanation. Back in the day, when floor heating was not as prevalent as it is now, people wore long underwear at night. Red-colored underwear was more expensive than the other drab colors offered at the time and therefore more desirable. Anyone who still observes this belief will probably buy red boxers, briefs, bras or panties for their parents.

You will find plenty of red underwear for sale on the first day that a department store opens. Have you ever noticed that during the grand opening of a department store, there is red underwear sold everywhere? It’s believed that buying red underwear at this time will bring good luck.

Here’s an idea for all the high school and college kids out there: next time you visit a store during its grand opening, buy a pair of red undergarments in your parent’s sizes. Stash them away until you get your first paycheck at your first job. Then, give the red “underoos” as a gift of appreciation to your parents. Good luck and good fortune for everybody!

Feature image by Petr Kratochvil, from publicdomainpictures.net.