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Giving Mandarin Ducks as an Autumn Wedding Gift
Official product names are shown in Korean. Product pages are in Korean; prices are in South Korean won (KRW).
Presenting mandarin ducks as an autumn wedding gift carries the wish for harmony between two people. In traditional Korean wedding ceremonies, mandarin ducks symbolize a lifelong union and unchanging love. It is a way of placing a heartfelt blessing for the days the couple will share together into a small object.
During the season of preparing Chuseok gifts, wedding gifts also draw attention. Traditional Korean wedding accessories range from decorative pieces placed in the home to objects used at the dining table. A fabric envelope for wrapping a cash gift is one such item. Where the feeling of celebration lingers depends on what is given.
A Decoration That Keeps the Memory of an Autumn Wedding in the Home
A mandarin duck decoration leaves the meaning of wedding congratulations inside the home. The 목각장식-부부원앙(겹친날개) (carved wooden decoration — couple mandarin ducks with overlapping wings) is a craft piece made by carving wood and applying colored patterns. A distinctive feature of the carving method is that the carving extends through to the wing parts connected to the body. The care put into making it is evident in the wings and coloring, which pass through many stages by hand.
At 17.8 cm wide and 7 cm tall, it is easy to gauge where to place it. Set on a display cabinet or shelf, it becomes something you glance at as you pass by. The wish for the couple's lasting harmony remains there alongside it.
A review from someone who purchased this mandarin duck as a gift for an acquaintance contained a small wish. The reviewer wanted to convey the meaning of giving mandarin ducks through an English-language card. The words that explain the significance of the object mattered just as much as its appearance. Adding a brief greeting such as "Wishing you both lasting happiness together" would be a fitting touch.
The 한복인형-신랑신부 (hanbok doll — bride and groom) captures the image of two people going through a wedding ceremony. The beauty of traditional Korean dress is expressed through silk, saekdong (multicolored striped fabric), embroidery, and norigae (decorative knot ornaments). Gold-leaf patterns and the five traditional colors (obangsaek) are also elements that make up the doll. If the mandarin duck symbolizes the harmony of a married couple, the bride-and-groom doll is a keepsake that keeps the image of the wedding ceremony before one's eyes.
The doll measures 22 cm wide and 35 cm tall — a size that allows you to take in the details of the hanbok decorations at leisure once it is placed in the home. There is an account of someone checking the wording on a nameplate and its line alignment while preparing it as a gift. If you prepare a separate inscription, you naturally find yourself thinking about how the congratulatory text will appear. In a decoration that commemorates a wedding, even a single line of writing endures for a long time.
Mandarin Ducks Placed on the Table of Two
Mandarin ducks celebrating a marriage can also be found in objects used at mealtimes. The 청자수저받침-원앙세트 (celadon chopstick-and-spoon rest — mandarin duck set) is a ceramic accessory finished with celadon glaze. It is made using a ceramic production method in which clay is shaped and then fired at high temperature. The soft jade-green color and the mandarin duck form are placed upon the dining table.
The wish for harmony is added to a small object that holds chopsticks and a spoon. The moment of encounter differs from that of a decoration displayed in the home. You take it out while preparing a meal and see it again when you set down the utensils. It is a way of keeping the beauty of traditional ceramics close at hand as an everyday object.
Among the actual reviews is the story of someone who prepared it as a gift for a newlywed couple. There is also a buyer who chose it and gave it to an acquaintance who was getting married. That buyer wrote that the chopstick-and-spoon rest felt cuter to them compared to a larger mandarin duck.
What the reviews convey is the image of giving a small mandarin duck as a congratulatory gift. This does not mean that every recipient shares the same taste. For a couple who regularly enjoys using tableware accessories, it is easy to picture how it will be used. As it is ceramic, care should be taken with the packaging when presenting it so that it does not break.
The Nubi Stitching That Wraps a Cash Gift
If you have prepared a cash gift, you can add thoughtfulness to the envelope that holds it as well. The 누비 예단지갑봉투 11색 (nubi — traditional Korean quilted fabric — yedan gift wallet envelope, 11 colors) is a fabric envelope made with nubi silk and embroidery. It is an envelope-style piece measuring 19 cm wide and 10 cm tall. An embroidered pattern placed at the center adorns the exterior.
Nubi is a traditional technique in which multiple layers of fabric are stitched together. It suits the idea of conveying sincerity and good fortune through fabric that has been worked by hand. This is also why it is used as an accessory for holding yedan (traditional betrothal gifts) or monetary gifts. When the money given to celebrate a wedding is wrapped in fabric, the care that went into preparing the envelope is conveyed along with it.
Wedding accessories are not limited to keepsakes given to the bride and groom. They also include objects used when sending and receiving yedan and wedding gifts. The nubi envelope is the object among these used to hold and present a cash gift. Unlike a decoration placed in the home, it is used in the moment of passing congratulations from hand to hand.
Even within the same wedding congratulations, the role each object plays is different. The mandarin duck and the bride-and-groom doll are kept in the home as a reminder of the wedding ceremony. The celadon chopstick-and-spoon rest is placed on the table the two share. The nubi envelope wraps a cash gift with care and presents it.
The phrase "giving mandarin ducks as an autumn wedding gift" carries the wish for lasting harmony. That wish can be conveyed through a decoration to be looked at, or through an object used at the dining table. If you have prepared a cash gift, it would also be fitting to place it in a nubi envelope before presenting it. The greeting you wish to pass on to the two of them remains together with the purpose of the object.
For a Broader Comparison of Products
You can find more products connected to this article on the pages below.
- Mandarin duck — A collection of mandarin duck accessories, from carved wooden decorations for the home to chopstick-and-spoon rests for the dining table.
- Wedding accessories / gift and yedan accessories — More accessories used for weddings and yedan, such as mandarin duck decorations and yedan envelopes.