Here are some common hanbok colors and what they symbolize: Black. Infinity, creation, intelligence, wisdom, death, darkness. *Black was often worn by intellectuals and—as the legend goes—by the grim reaper. Black hanbok is also worn during funerals.
A hanbok's colour was chosen with the help of feng shui, an oriental philosophy of harmony. But the chosen colours also represented the wearer's social status, age as well as marital status.
But the black official hat and attire of the Joseon Dynasty represent 'formality' and 'dignity,' and through the simplified black official attire and school uniforms and so on worn after the japanese occupation, it has also come to signify 'institutions' and 'rules.
Traditional hanbok had vibrant hues that corresponded with the five elements of the yin-and-yang theory: white (metal), red (fire), blue (wood), black (water) and yellow (earth). Colours also symbolised social position and marital status.
Red skirt and yellow top are for little girls and unmarried women. Dark blue skirt and lilac top are for women on their 30th of age. Dark gray skirt and red top are for women on their 40th of age. Tan color skirt and orange top are for women who are older than 50th of age.
Black hanbok is also worn during funerals. *Red is commonly worn by women on their wedding day.
According to the National Folk Museum of Korea, “For a long time, the color red has been believed to have shamanistic power for warding off evil spirits or bad luck.
For people who aren't Korean to learn about and wear hanbok out of respect via invitation, is a form of appreciation and cultural exchange. To wear it for Halloween and music festivals or altering it to suit western standards and ideals, but calling it by the same name, is appropriation.
Patterns were embroidered on hanbok to represent the wishes of the wearer. Peonies on a wedding dress, represented a wish for honor and wealth. Lotus flowers symbolized a hope for nobility, and bats and pomegranates showed the desire for children.
Yes, definitely foreigners can wear Hanbok. In fact in Seoul alone, there are thousands of foreigners who try Hanbok in a day. Just handle it carefully, with grace and you will look beautiful in it.
White | The most important colour. Represents truth, humility, purity, non-possession, as well as the origin of all things. Black | Represents wisdom, darkness and death. Blue | Represents integrity, brightness and clarity.
Love, passion, and romance are all connected to the color red. It is also linked to war, ruthlessness, and violence. The balance of red and blue has great meaning in Korean culture. While red represents yang's (the man's) energy, which is masculine in nature, blue represents yin's (the woman's) energy.
Different colors and patterns on hanbok symbolize different meanings. Unmarried women wore yellow to show their maidenhood, while couples wore red during their wedding ceremony to symbolize good fortune and wealth. Besides that, patterns such as dragons and tigers indicated royalty or nobility.
Black is known as the formal color for funerals. For the family mourning, the men wear suits and the women wear black hanboks with a white ribbon hairpin. The chief mourner always has an arm board. Black suits are worn by every other person in attendance.
Culture and traditional Korean colours
Traditionally, blue symbolises creativity, immortality and hope; white symbolises chastity, truth, innocence and death; red symbolises the sun, fire, production, creation, passion and love; black symbolises existence; yellow symbolises light and essence of vitality [25].
The everyday wear of modern Koreans is not hanbok. It was common to see citizens wearing hanbok going about the streets until the 1960s. However, as the popularity of clothing materials in modern western-style clothing spread and prices fell, hanbok gradually vanished from our daily routines starting in the 1980s.
Wear the undergarments (if you have them).
If you have them, wear these underneath your hanbok. You can choose from either the underpants or the underskirt. Wearing the underskirt will give your skirt an extra layer of oomph and make it fan out more.
Traditional Hanbok will make you look pleasantly simple. This is the generally what Koreans wear during Korean holidays. As for Theme Hanbok, they are more more colorful and has gorgeous patterns. In Hanboknam, theme Hanbok is the most popular ones.
As cleavage is generally not accepted in Korean fashion, backless clothing is also considered taboo. It's rare to find Korean women's clothing that exposes the backside, as it is deemed as revealing cleavage. Korean women tend to be conservative when exposing their upper body, including the back.
What to wear in South Korea. While short-shorts and skirts are commonplace for women in Korea's major cities, exposed shoulders and low-cut tops are still considered taboo most places. Summers get hot in South Korea, so loose-fitting t-shirts are a good alternative to tank tops.
The women's Hanbok design, which is divided into chima (skirt) and jeogori (tops), has a long style, making it suitable and comfortable to wear for everyone, including Muslim hijabers like me.
On the national level, Korean skin color is at the crux of the Korean national identity, along with Korean language and Korean blood lineage. In other words, in order to be considered Korean, one must be of Korean lineage, speak and utilize the Korean language, and look Korean.
The red colour was designated for the Queen, green and purple for the Crown Princess. The Royal Concubine's colours were green and blue. The Princesses' wife usually wore a green dress, but the colour would change to blue and purple if her designation was changed to the King's Wife.
Color restrictions in Joseon-era Korea according to status
Queen – Red. Princess – Purplish red. Wives of officials – Green.