Korean bokjori (fortune sieve)

The bokjori

A kitchen strainer of woven bamboo. In Korea, people bought one before dawn at the New Year and hung it up, so that it would “scoop up” good fortune for the whole year.

Earliest record

1960 text, cited by the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture

Source

Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (Academy of Korean Studies), bokjori

Region

East Asia · Korea

Wish

For a fresh start

Layers

Record Folk Modern

The story · three layers

The story, in three layers.

Record, Folk and Modern are kept apart, and each one carries its source.

Record

Korea, 1960

A text of 1960

The earliest text the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture cites for the custom dates from 1960.

To verify: The title and author of the 1960 text; Whether older records of the custom exist

Folk

Korea, New Year

Before dawn at the New Year

At the New Year, people bought a bokjori before dawn and hung it up, so that it would “scoop up” the year’s good fortune.

III

Modern

Wishlore, today

How we tell it

A bokjori is a kitchen tool turned into a wish for the year. We tell it as an object and a print first, and leave the year’s fortune to you.

How would you like to keep it?

Download & print

Print-ready card and phone wallpaper

£2.99Sample price

Printed story card, posted

Story and source code on the reverse

£8Sample price

Wish for someone

A private note in your own account. Nothing is sent to them.

Free

No jewellery for this symbol yet; story card and download only

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The bokjori

The story, in three layers.

A text of 1960

Before dawn at the New Year

How we tell it

How would you like to keep it?

The bokjori

The story, in three layers.

A text of 1960

Before dawn at the New Year

How we tell it

How would you like to keep it?

Other symbols to keep