Chooka Party founders make celebrating Korean baby milestones a breeze

Two Vancouver entrepreneurs are ready to help Korean families celebrate their baby’s most important milestones with their new party rental supply company.

Chooka Party, founded by longtime friends Crystal Kwon and Dahye Lee, rents out Korean traditional items that are used to celebrate a baby’s 100-day and one-year milestones.

According to Lee, the inspiration for the company came from their own growing families.

“While both of our babies are not fully Korean, we wanted to make sure that we were instilling the culture and traditions that we grew up with,” Dahye said to Daily Hive. “When I started to plan for my son’s 100-day birthday, I found that there were no decorations that were a fit.

“I went to party decor shops, visited dollar stores, even looked online to find simple items that could be adapted but struggled with what was available. I spoke to Crystal about curating some items from Korea and we decided to partner together. Chooka Party was born.”

 

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Chooka Party helps Vancouver moms celebrate Korean baby milestones by offering hanbok, dohl jabi props, and traditional decor items for a picture-perfect party setting.

According to Kwon, who is also the founder of Front and Centre PR, these items are important as Korean babies get a bonus birthday celebration.

“In our culture, babies first start by celebrating 100 days of life which is referred to as baegil. This literally translates to 100 days,” explained Kwon, “A long time ago in Korea, baby mortality rates were high and sadly a lot of babies didn’t make it to the one-year mark so they started to celebrate when a baby was 100 days old.”

Chooka Party/Submitted

When a Korean baby turns one, they celebrate their dohl with a party featuring a dohl jabi.

“This is where a number of items are placed in front of a baby, each symbolizing a different career path,” Kwon said. “The baby is encouraged to crawl to one and pick it up and that is said to tell the baby’s future. Most Korean moms hope the baby will pick the anvil so they can be a lawyer or the coins that represent prosperity.”

For both the baegil and the dohl party, it’s very common to have a large table set up with all sorts of treats and symbolic items. These range from stacks of rice cakes, towering plates of fruit, or gifts that are wrapped traditionally in silk.

Chooka Party/Submitted

“The table becomes a key focal area, photo opp, and decor piece all in one,” added Lee. “These are items that are not easy to find in Vancouver (trust us, we tried), but are really special for our culture.”

Chooka Party rentals are currently available in Metro Vancouver and can be booked online. Items are picked up on the day of the rental and returned the next day.

Chooka Party/Submitted

“What gives us the most joy is that we’re helping other Korean moms in Vancouver create some of their earliest memories with their little ones,” shared Kwon. “And Dahye and I have been friends for over 20 years, so for us to embark on a new journey together as moms adds a new dynamic to our friendship.”

For more information about Chooka Party, visit its website.