A Study on the Social Reasons Affecting to Korean Baik-Eui

한국백의에 영향을 준 사회적 요인에 관한 연구

  • Published : 1982.11.01

Abstract

Baik-Eui is the white clothes and Korean typical way of wearing, Baik-Eui was used by the over 80$\~$90 percents of people, which proves that Baik-Eui was the very clothes of common people. Moreover, even King himself in Koryo Dynasty is said to have worn white clothes when he was out of official hours. And wearing Baik-Eui was regarded as polite manners among the noble men in Yi Dynasty in spite of strict prohibitions of wearing it. That fact proves that it was loved by Korean people in general. Baik-Eui can be found its origin from many peoples of North East Asia in ancient time. Some say that wearing Baik-Eui is considered as a kind of worship of the sun, or purity of Korean people. But from the economical point of view, Baik-Eui was primitive in it's color. It means that their clothes were made from original clothes, not dyed. This study on the social reasons affecting to Baik-Eui, they are summarized as follows; 1. This Baik-Eui had been originated from the ancient economical and rigid circumstances of society. Everlasting poverty and diprivation of joy in life of Korean naturally made them have inclination of wearing it 2. Also common people were restricted in their choice of dress color by government. Even rich could not wear a colored clothes except the dyes permitted by them. 3. Socially, People wore white clothes through various kinds of ceremony, among which funeral was the most important. As we had the large family system, and usually the funeral at that time was longer in its period than now. Thus, Korean got accustomed to wear whit clothes more and more.

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