Baby's First Birthday (Dol)
Koreans celebrate baby's first birthday by throwing a big party. The only one other big birthday party is Hwangap (60th birthday).
Prior to the first birthday, Koreans celebrate baby's 100th day (Baek-il) by inviting close friends and family members. Taking photo at a photo studio at this 100th day became very important custom in modern days. (Trusts me, everyone has Baek-il photo.)
On the first birthday, parents can serve any kind of food that can please guests. I recommend Beef Stir-fry (Bulgogi), Korean Roll (Kim Bab), Glass Noodle Stir-fry(Jap Chae), Chinese Scallion (Chives) Pancake (Bu Chim Gae) as main dish and Folded Egg, Seasoned Bean Sprouts, Seasoned Spinach, Zucchini fry , and Kimchi as side dish. (Note: the selections here are not based on Korean tradition. Rather, these are what I think proper to serve foreigners.) Rice cake will be very nice appetizer if you can buy them fresh from a Korean market.
On a small table for the mother and the baby to sit, place threads, pen brush, and money (a dollar note will do). The mother should let the baby to pick one of the items. If the baby picks threads, it means he or she will have a long life. Brush means scholarship, and money means wealth. This will be a fun photo or video moment in future.