Seollal isn’t just a New Year celebration but also a giant birthday celebration for the whole country. It also symbolizes a celebration of age in Korea, as Seollal is when people celebrate another year of growing older. The soup represents a lot of things: longevity, fortune, and new beginnings. There are all kinds of Korean dishes served during Seollal, but the most important one is tteokguk (떡국), a rice cake soup. Since Seollal is celebrated with family, that means it’s also a time for big family feasts. Traveling to South Korea during Seollal? Dress up in a hanbok for the occasion! Book the experience here !įestive Feast via sungsu han on Shutterstock But these days, people could wear their best hanbok set instead of getting new ones for the holiday. Seolbim means New Year clothes which are a new set of hanbok bought or made specifically for Seollal. As Seollal is celebrated, a special set of hanbok called seolbim (설빔) is worn.

Children wear it on their first birthday, and it’s also seen during festivals and events like weddings. Hanbok is usually worn during very important events. The importance of Seollal means it’s also a time for people to wear their hanbok (한복) or traditional Korean clothing. Holiday Clothing via mnimage on Shutterstock Another greeting that can be heard during Seollal is haengbokan saehae doeseyo (행복한 새해 되세요) which translates to “have a happy new year.” As seollal is celebrated, it’s a good idea to know these phrases to greet friends and family around Korea. Its literal translation is “may you have a lot of fortune in the new year.” But it’s also the most common way people greet each other happy new year in Korean. When performing sebae, children would also greet elders by saying saehae bok mani badeuseyo (새해 복 많이 받으세요). New Year Greetings via Maria Skrigan on Shutterstock In turn, elders give children sebaetdon (세뱃돈), new year money presented in colorful silk bags. This is done by deeply bowing to grandparents and other older relatives.

Children are also required to pay respects to their elders through sebae (세배). Gifts are brought home to be given to relatives and offerings are made to family ancestors. During this period, many travel to their hometowns to visit their parents and grandparents. Seollal is one of the most important Korean holidays and it’s usually spent with family. 5.2 Related Posts Family Time via Miinam on Shutterstock

Happy lunar new year 2022 korean