La maison de la Corée
Jumoni
Unlike Western clothing, Korea's traditional costume, hanbok, has no pockets. For this reason,
Koreans in olden times carried their essentials in a small drawstring bag when going out, while
pojagi, wrapping cloths, were used for larger items. The earliest pouches were of a simple,
practical design. Later, they became increasingly ornate, decorated with fine embroidery and
beads. Both men and women carried pouches with such decorations indicating the hearer's social
class.
Pouches were considered auspicious receptacles for good fortune and therefore used widely as
gifts, especially at New Year's. It was customary for the royal palace to send a pouch containing
a roasted pea wrapped in red paper, a good luck charm, to the royal clansmen on the first Boar Day
of the first lunar month.
Children also carried small pouches containing rice, sesame, foxtail millet, red beans and other
grains on their person to bring them good luck. It was also common practice to give pouches as
presents on people's first and 60th birthdays. A bride prepared "piety" pouches upon returning
from her first visit to her parents' home after marriage which were offered to her in-laws. The
pouches were also called pok or good luck pouches.
