Seollal: Korean New Year

Did you know that South Korea celebrates the New Year twice annually? The first New Year is celebrated by the majority of the world and is an official bank holiday. While the western culture celebrates with fireworks, sales, drinking until the clock strikes midnight, and a midnight kiss, depending on one’s age, some people in Korea will go clubbing or climb a mountain to watch the sunrise. There will be firework displays in big cities, but mostly, Korea sees it as just another day.

January 22, 2023 marks the date for the Korean Lunar New Year, and it might seem strange that this holiday is not celebrated following the widely used Gregorian calendar. That’s because this three-day tradition is called Seollal (설날), marking the first day of the lunar calendar. The lunar calendar was first recorded in 488, and since 1819, every Korean ages one year on the first day of the calendar. However, as of June 2023, Korean age will no longer be accepted on official documents and will only be recognised informally in Korea.

Charye and Seongmyo

Image: Pixabay

This feast is called charye (차례), celebrated during Seollal and Chuseok (추석: Korean thanksgiving). Like a memorial service, food is given to a person's ancestors, and they bow as a sign of respect before eating with family. Meat, fish, pancakes, and fruit are commonly found in this feast. However, it depends on the household’s income and palette too. 

Tteokguk (떡국) is a New Year soup tradition that is often served during charye. It can be eaten at home or in restaurants, and the white color of the soup signifies purity. It is shaped as a circle as reference to the sun, which is derived from serving the sun in previous generations, and also holds the legend of a person aging one year during the lunar calendar.

Buchimgae (부침개), also known as jeon (전), is another common main dish eaten during charye. It’s a pancake-based dish containing spring onions,and sometimes potatoes, carrots, kimchi, and other popular Korean vegetables. The most popular types are kimchi and seafood pancakes, such as gimchijeon (김치전) and haemulpajeon (해물파전).

Image: Flickr

After charye, close family members partake in seongmyo (성묘), where they will visit their ancestor’s grave and prepare a small meal for them, consisting of the same food from the feast. Sebae (세배) is an important tradition in Korean culture that is seen and used daily — bowing. This bow is performed completely kneeling on the ground with the person’s hands and head tucked in also to show the deepest sign of respect. While hanbok (한복) is no longer daily fashion, it’s worn during special holidays and events, just like sebae.

“Sebae deuryeosseoyo” (“세배 드렸어요”) translates to, “I did the sebae bow,” which is said to annotate your actions so that a person’s ancestors know they were respectful. Whereas, “Saehae bok mani badeuseyo” (“새해 복 많이 받으세요”) translates to, “Have lots of luck in the New Year,” which is said to one’s ancestors, living family, and friends. A person often will receive money from their grandparents after this phrase with a wish or endearing phrase, such as, “Please get married this year,” or, “Grow smart and strong to pass your exam and do well this year.”

Events

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In the early hours of the Lunar New Year’s Eve, people make a decoration called bokjori (복조리) that is hung on their front door in hopes of bringing good luck and fortune throughout the year. It’s made from bamboo, weaved, and sold as jewelry or a decorative strainer, but is typically bought from a market nowadays.

As Korean Lunar New Year is a national bank holiday, the usual morning routine is completely different! Everyone will awaken early in the morning, as early as 6 a.m. to watch the sunrise, but it really depends on astrology. People will wash their face well, even if they don’t usually do skincare, and will wear new clothes that they bought specially for the day, which is called seolbim (설빔).

Throughout the day, there will be festivals, such as the annual one at Gyeongbok Palace. The palace was built in 1395 in the Joseon Dynasty and is located in the Jongno District in Seoul. It’s one of the most important, oldest, and most favored palaces in South Korea because of its rich history. Fun fact: you’ll get in for free if you wear a hanbok!

Image: Flickr

Children play traditional games with their family or friends during Seollal, such as yut nori (윷노리), the most popular New Year board game that involves throwing sticks into the air and moving the circular piece based on how the sticks land. Other activities include neolttwigi (널뛰기), a seesaw-like game, tuho (투호), where arrows are thrown into a pot from a safe distance, and generally flying kites.

Image: TXT_bighit (Twitter)

An annual concert is held in South Korea that features popular idols, where they sing their most popular music. Idols will release videos on YouTube, often called “Season’s Greetings,” which could be a reference to a new album or new music, photoshoots, a general “Happy New Year” greeting, playing games, or even holding a livestream. For example, here is Tomorrow x Together (TXT)’s 2023 Season’s Greetings video on YouTube. Also, photos are typically put on Twitter, Instagram, and popular social media used in Asia, as well as sold as limited edition merchandise.

Edited by Rashelle B.