Mary Lee Herrington of Mary Lee Herrington Celebrations, an event planning company based in New York City, hosted her daughter Margot’s Dol (first birthday party) at miss KOREA BBQ. As friends and family gathered for an intimate Doljanchi, the proud mother prepared decorations and Doljabi arrangements for the beautiful birthday girl.
Margot’s Dol (1st birthday) Celebration
In Korean culture, a baby’s 1st birthday (the “dohl”) is a special momentous occasion, celebrating the milestone with lots of food, rice cakes, more baked goods, cakes, traditional dress and a doljabi, where the 1 year old “chooses” an object that foretells her future. Before modern times, there was a high infant mortality rate in Korea and getting a baby to his or her 1st year was considered to be a huge feat, which is historically why Koreans celebrated the 1st birthday with such pride. To me, even with modern medicine and healthy children today, I still think getting a baby to her 1st year is a big feat for any parent and it should be celebrated in style!
Wanting the party to be pretty laid back, we decided to have an intimate party with our friends, their kids/babies and our family at Miss Korea BBQ, a restaurant in Koreatown.