What do Koreans do to Celebrate the New Year
Seollal is the celebration of the first day of the Korean lunar calendar. It is also called the Korean New Year and observed on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The day of this new year changes with the lunar calendar but usually falls in January or February. It lasts for 3 days long with celebrations starting on the day before the new year, the new year and after the new year.
On Seollal Koreans visit their family members and relatives, perform ancestral rites, eat traditional food, wear hanboks and play folk games. It is a family holiday that brings together all the members of a family from every part of the country and abroad.
During the first morning of Seollal, charye is offered to the ancestors by preparing a table filled with traditional food as an offering and performing deep bows. This is done with the intention of showing gratitude and respect towards the ancestors. The food on the table is arranged according to an order and usually includes dishes like fish, meat, rice and fruits.
Incense sticks are also lit as a way of showing respect to the ancestors, and chopsticks are placed straight up on a bowl of rice to invite the spirits of the ancestors to enjoy the food prepared. The serving of the food to the ancestors is done by males, and the ritual is completed by performing eumbok. This is where everyone gathers to eat the ritual food prepared and gain the blessings of the ancestors for the year.
Tteokguk is the main ritual food that is served on Seollal. It is made with sliced rice cakes, onions and egg, served in a clear soup that is usually made from bone marrow. This soup carries special meaning when eaten on Seollal since it commemorates becoming one year older. Because of this, Koreans also joke about becoming older by eating more than one bowl of tteokguk on Seollal.
Another traditional dish that is eaten during Seollal is jeon or fried pancakes. It is savory and made with vegetables and meat or fish, mixed in a batter made with flour and eggs that is then fried. The feast is completed with a refreshing glass of sikhye that is made from rice and sujeonggwa that is made from cinnamon and ginger.
During Seollal it is also a tradition to perform a formal bow called sebae to the elders in the family. This is a ritual of filial piety and is performed by children towards their grandparents, aunts and uncles. When performing this bow the children greet the elders by saying ‘saehae bok mani badeuseyo’ (새해 복 많이 받으세요) which literally translates to may you have a lot of good luck this year. In return, they are rewarded with money that is known as sebetdon.
Traditional games are a big part of Seollal as well. And yutnori, a board game, is the most famous. It is played by tossing 4 sticks in the air that are marked with x’s and a game piece that is moved on the board based on the number that falls. Jegichagi which is a game of tossing a lightweight object made from paper or cloth in the air, neolttwigi that is like a seesaw but has the person on the opposite end being tossed in the air, go-stop a famous card game played with hwatu cards and paengi that is spinning top, are some other games that are played frequently during Seollal.
Seollal is a holiday that many look forward to celebrating every year. But this year, because of COVID-19, the celebrations are restricted. Still, the joyful spirit of Seollal will always remain even amidst the pandemic.
