Learn the superstitions about chicken wings and falling dreams
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| INTRODUCTION | |
Becky: |
Hello and welcome to Culture Class: Korean Superstitions and Beliefs. Lesson 4 Chicken Wings and Falling Dreams. I'm Becky and I'm joined by Jaehwi. |
Jaehwi: |
안녕하세요. (annyeonghaseyo) Hi, I'm Jaehwi. |
| THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS | |
Becky: |
In this lesson we will talk about two common superstitions in South Korea. The first superstition is about bad luck. What's the superstition called in Korean? |
Jaehwi: |
닭날개, (dangnalgae). |
Becky: |
Which literally means "Chicken wings." Jaehwi, can you repeat the Korean phrase again? |
Jaehwi: |
[slow] 닭날개 [normal] 닭날개 |
Becky: |
In Korea, it's believed that offering chicken wings to your husband or boyfriend will make him cheat on you. |
Jaehwi: |
The wings could make him fly away. |
Becky: |
Like some of our previous superstitions, it’s because two words share a similar sound. |
Jaehwi: |
Right. In Korean, the word 바람 means "wind" but also "cheating on a loved one." |
Becky: |
This is why people connect chicken wings with someone cheating, because wings cause wind. |
Jaehwi: |
So make sure not to give chicken wings to your boyfriend. |
Becky: |
The second superstition is about good luck. What's the superstition called in Korean? |
Jaehwi: |
떨어지는 꿈, (tteoreojineun kkum). |
Becky: |
Which literally means "Falling dreams." Let’s hear it in Korean again. |
Jaehwi: |
[slow] 떨어지는 꿈 [normal] 떨어지는 꿈 |
Becky: |
My friend has a lot of dreams where she’s falling. She tells me she always wakes up before hitting the ground. |
Jaehwi: |
Is your friend tall? |
Becky: |
No, not especially |
Jaehwi: |
In Korea, it's believed that if you fall in your dream, you will grow tall. |
Becky: |
This superstition exists because teenagers who are having growth spurts tend to also have falling dreams. Do you think the basketball player Shaq has a lot of falling dreams? |
Jaehwi: |
I’ll ask next time I see him. |
Outro |
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|---|---|
Becky: |
There you have it - two Korean superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments! |
Jaehwi: |
안녕히 계세요. (annyeonghi gyeseyo) |
7 Comments
HideHave you ever experienced something similar to what was explained in the lesson?
Hi Denisse,
Thanks for posting. There are a few meanings to the word ‘바람’, one means ‘wind’, and it also has the meaning of ‘a person’s mind is excited/joyful’, and the expression is said to come from how the spring wind warms up the cold earth that froze over during the winter, which also uplifts a person’s spirits. So when people say ‘바람을 피우다’, which means to cheat, it refers to a person’s mind which has become excited and joyful due to the presence of someone new.
As for the Black Pink song, I believe the title is ‘휘파람’, which is a word that means ‘to whistle’.
Hope this answered your question. Please let us know if you have any other inquiries.
Best,
Lyn
Team KoreanClass101.com
바람 means “wind” but also “cheating on a loved
one.” does it also means whistle? Like in Blackpink song? Or something similiar?
Hi Ian,
Thanks for posting. Haven’t heard the song by the member of Girl’s Generation, but that’s interesting to hear. 😄
Cheers,
Lyn
Team KoreanClass101.com
I believe so Lyn, it just seems to fit in with the whole falling dream belief. I have also since found out there was a recent song named after the famous Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway. It was sung by a member of Girls Generation and ironically its a happy love song about never breaking up. 😄
Hi Ian,
Thanks for posting. We haven’t seen the MV you mentioned…what do you think? Do you think it was a source of inspiration?
Cheers,
Lyn
Team KoreanClass101.com
Do you believe the falling dream idea could of been a source of inspiration for the Kpop boy group GOT7 when they were making their recent ‘Fly’ music video? 😄