The Ceremonies of Taejang
When delivering a baby, people didn't use an iron-knife to cut off Tae. They believed an iron-knife could cause some infection. Usually, they used a bamboo-knife instead.
After that, Korean ancestors washed Tae, and kept it in pottery. The quality and the form of the pottery were different according to the degree of their social status. The common people used a clay-pot, and the royal family used a special ceramic ware. The royal family had a special ceremony at the moment, when Tae was about to be placed in the ceramic ware, when it was to be buried in the earth.
During the Joseon Dynasty, there were special places called Taeshil or Taebong. The special stone monuments called Taebi were also erected there. Taebi consists of dragon-shaped headstones and turtle-shaped pedestals. The purpose of these things were to wish healthy and long lives, and a wise ruling to the king. In 1439, King Sejong appointed Jigwans who were in charge of finding holy places for Taeshil. Thus, King Sejong kept all his sons' Tae in Seongju.
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