Dangui
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(; also written with the characters《》; ), also called (), (), (), (), and (), is a type of (upper
garment Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
) for women in , the
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
n traditional clothing, which was worn for ceremonial occasions (e.g. for minor ceremonies in the palace as soryebok (小禮服)) in the palace during the
Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
period. It was typically a garment item reserved for the upper class and commoners of this period would rarely see anyone in this garment. It was worn as a simple official outfit or for small national ceremonies while court ladies wore it as a daily garment.


Origins

It is currently believed the ''dangui'' originated from ''jangjeogori'' ( 장저고리; ''long
jeogori or (; ) is a basic upper garment of the , a traditional Korean garment, which has been worn by both men and women. Men usually wear the with a '' baji'' or pants while women wear the with '' chima'', or skirts. It covers the arms and upper par ...
''), which was worn before the early
Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
as formal wear. The scholars of the late Joseon period, such as Pak Kyusu, who wrote the 1841 ''Geoga japbokgo'' (거가잡복고 居家雜服攷), a history of Korean clothing, believed that the ''dangui'' originated from China and may have dated back to the time when the Chinese clothing system was introduced to Korea between 57 BC and 668 AD, during the
Three Kingdoms period of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statelets consolidated until, af ...
: This belief was due to the use of the Chinese character《》; this character could either refer to the Tang (唐) dynasty or indicate a "Chinese" (唐) product introduced from China; but, in this context, the scholars had assumed that it referred to the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. However, the claim that the ''dangui'' dates back to the Tang dynasty is currently judged as being erroneous, considering that the clothing characteristics of the ''dangui'' appeared in the middle of the 17th century according to the excavation of related relics. It is also noted that it is only in the 17th century that the term ''dangui'' first appeared in literature. Whether the late Joseon theory on the origins of the ''dangui'' is probable or not, it is certain that the was worn during the Joseon period, based on historical documents and remains. The scholar, Yi Jae (李縡 1680 – 1746) mentioned the in his book, 《》which defines four important rites based on
Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...
. In the chapter, 《》on the
coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
ceremonies, the () was commonly called and its length reaches to the knees and its sleeves are narrow. It is also a woman's (; ), a daily garments when working.


Construction and design

The form of is similar to that of ; however, the length of both the front and back side of the reach to the knees-level and is triple to that of . The characteristic design purpose of the is to emphasize the beauty of the 's curvy lines. The side seams are open to the armpit and are curved in shape. When making a ''dangui'' with a yellowish green fabric, the color for the inner fabric and for (), which is the ribbons tied at the chest, is red and purple respectively. Two ' are attached at the left side of (), which is a fabric band of that trims the collar while one short ' is at the git's right side. The sleeves of are narrow. At the end of the sleeves of , there is , a kind of white border band attached. The white border band is an indication that it is a type of ceremonial garment. The materials, along with the decorations and colours used in the , differed based on the social status of its wearer, on the occasions when it had to be worn, and on the seasons.


Lining and padding

In addition, the can be divided into two types depending on its layer: the (), which is a double layered , and the (), which is a single-layered . The was also called () or (). The was usually worn during winter while the in summer. As the Queen had worn a white made of a single fabric the day before the Dano festival, which falls on the 5th day of the fifth month of the
lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based on the solar year, and lunisolar calendars, whose lunar months are br ...
, every women at court followed the trend and change their clothing to the single layered one the next day. Likewise, when the Queen began to wear a double layered the day before
Chuseok Chuseok (; , ), also known as Hangawi (; ; from Old Korean, "the great middle f autumn), is a major mid-autumn harvest festival and a three-day holiday in South Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunisolar calendar on the ...
, an event which celebrates on every 15th day of August in the lunar calendar, all women in the palace changed their clothing to the double layered the next day.


Colours and decorations


Colours

The queen consort, the king's concubines, (court matron), and women (nobility) wore the garment over a short jacket called . According to colour, there were yellowish green, pale green, purple, navy, dark blue, and white-colored and others, but yellowish green coloured one was the most commonly worn during the time. The ''dangui'' were also named after their colours, for example, ''yeondu dangui'' for green, ''jaju dangui'' for plum, ''namsong dangui'' for blue, and ''baesaek dangui'' for white. Each colour also has its own unique association with the seasons: purple were used for the winter solstice, pale green was for spring, and white was for the Dano, in the summer after the Dano, or were used as mourning attire for a state funeral. The purple was used by the queen in winter. The dark blue appears to have been used by low-ranking court ladies, who wore it on important events, such as royal wedding.


Decorations

The for women at court strictly represented the wearer's rank, whereas the for commoners was not allowed to have any style used for the former. The for the Queen, princesses or other royalty, (gold leaf) patterns were decorated from the shoulder part through the end of the sleeves, as well as the front and back side, and '. In the patterns, illustrations of
flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
or
bats Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...
or characters which symbolizes auspicious themes, such as 《壽》which uses the Chinese character 《》and expresses wishes for
longevity Longevity may refer to especially long-lived members of a population, whereas ''life expectancy'' is defined Statistics, statistically as the average number of years remaining at a given age. For example, a population's life expectancy at birth ...
; 《福》which uses the Chinese character 《》which expresses wishes for
good fortune Good Fortune may refer to: * ''Good Fortune'' (film), a film by Aziz Ansari * "Good Fortune" (song), a song by PJ Harvey * ''Good Fortune'' (Brotherhood of Man album) * ''Good Fortune'' (78 Saab album) See also * Good fortune, the concept ...
; and 《》which uses the Chinese character 《》, commonly known as double happiness in English, which expresses wishes for a blessed marriage. For the Queen, patterns depicting the phoenix were also used. Official rank badge called or the royal badge called could also be sewn on the chest area of the according to its wearer ranks.


Wedding dress

When the was worn as a
wedding dress A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. Wedding dresses hold a significan ...
, the bride wore it over a (a wrapping
skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are ...
) and . The wearer also put a (a form of Korean ) on the head, attached a , a type of accessory to the , and wore a pair of shoes made of silk. Since it was easy to wear and neat, the eventually became one of commonly worn wedding clothing among commoners during the Joseon dynasty.


Gallery

File:Korean costume-Hanbok-Dangui-Seuranchima-01.jpg, Models in red ''dangui'' File:Seoul-Gyeongbokgung-Chinjamrye-01.jpg, Models of ''
kungnyŏ ''Kungnyŏ'' ()Han, Hee-sook, pp. 141–146 is a Korean term referring to women waiting on the king and other royalty in traditional Korean society. It is short for "gungjung yeogwan", which translates as "a lady officer of the royal court". '' ...
'', lady-in-waiting in green ''dangui'' File:Korean clothing-Hanbok-Dangui-Cheopji-Norigae.jpg, A model of a royal woman in a green ''dangui'' File:Korean.Dance-Buchaechum-02.jpg, A dancer in a white ''dangui'' performing ''
buchaechum Buchaechum () is a Korea fan dance originating from various traditional and religious Korean dances. It is usually performed by groups of female dancers. History Buchaechum was created in 1954 by dancer Kim Baek-bong, who drew influences from bo ...
'' (a fan dance)


See also

*''
Jeogori or (; ) is a basic upper garment of the , a traditional Korean garment, which has been worn by both men and women. Men usually wear the with a '' baji'' or pants while women wear the with '' chima'', or skirts. It covers the arms and upper par ...
'' *'' Po'' *''
Wonsam The ''wonsam'' is a female ceremonial topcoat in ''hanbok''. It originated from China, and it was worn by queens, high-ranking court ladies, and royalty during the Joseon dynasty of Korea (1392–1910). It is also called 'daeui' (大衣, big clot ...
'' *''
Hwarot ''Hwarot'' () is a type of traditional Korean clothing worn during the Goryeo and Joseon eras only by royal women for ceremonial occasions and later by commoners for weddings. It is still worn during the pyebaek phase of modern weddings. Before c ...
''


References

{{Reflist Korean clothing Folk costumes