What Is Seollal? Korean Lunar New Year Customs Explained

Korea celebrates New Year twice. January 1 is a public holiday, but the New Year that matters most is Seollal (설날), the first day of the lunar calendar. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) puts it plainly: Seollal is much more significant than January 1. Here is what the day involves, based on KTO and the National Folk Museum of Korea, a national museum that documents Korean seasonal customs.

When Seollal falls

Seollal is the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar. KTO notes that it typically falls in February on the Gregorian calendar, which is why the date shifts from year to year. Many people take several days off work to return to their hometowns, and KTO says most businesses close.

The National Folk Museum frames Seollal as the start of a whole season of customs. The first lunar month is called Jeongwol (정월), and the museum describes a run of New Year customs practiced between Seol and Jeongwol Daeboreum, the first full moon of the year, all aimed at wishing for abundance and peace in the coming year.

The morning: charye and sebae

Two rituals shape the morning of Seollal.

Charye (차례). KTO describes Seollal as a time when Koreans honor their ancestors through charye, a ritual rite. It is the same family rite that anchors Chuseok in autumn, which is one reason the two holidays feel so alike.

Sebae (세배). KTO calls sebae a deep bow that younger family members make to show respect to their elders. The National Folk Museum adds the other half of the exchange: on Seol, people greet one another with sebae and with deokdam (덕담), words wishing good fortune in the new year. In other words, the bow goes up the generations, and the blessings come back down.

The museum also mentions seolbim (설빔), new clothing worn for the New Year, as part of how people dressed to welcome the holiday.

The food: tteokguk

The dish most tied to Seollal is tteokguk (떡국), a soup of sliced rice cakes. Both KTO and the National Folk Museum name it as the food people eat to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and KTO describes sharing a bowl of tteokguk with family as a core Seollal custom. KTO also lists manduguk (만둣국), dumpling soup, among the specially prepared foods for the holiday feast.

The games: yunnori, kites, and tops

After the morning rites, Seollal turns into a family day. KTO lists the traditional games families play together:

• Yunnori (윷놀이): a traditional board game. The National Folk Museum describes it as played with four sticks, and notes it is still widely enjoyed both in villages and at home.
• Neolttwigi (널뛰기): listed by KTO alongside yunnori as one of the folk games people enjoy over Seollal.
• Kite flying and top spinning: both listed by KTO as Seollal pastimes.

Wishing for luck in the year ahead

The National Folk Museum describes customs from Jeongcho, the opening days of the lunar year including Seol, that center on fortune:

• Bokjori (복조리): families hang a bokjori, a fortune strainer, to wish for good fortune.
• Tojeong Bigyeol (토정비결): people read this text, described by the museum as the secret divinatory art of Tojeong, to try to predict their fortune for the whole year.

The museum notes that some of these customs are still practiced today, which is a fair summary of Seollal in general: the core of family rites, bows, and tteokguk has carried through, while other customs have faded or become occasional.

Seollal for visitors

If you are in Korea over Seollal, KTO points out that cultural landmarks, including royal palaces such as Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugung, museums, and folk villages, host a range of events. It is one of the easiest times of year to see traditional games and customs in person, even if you are not part of a Korean family.

Plan around closures, though. Because so many people travel home and KTO says most businesses close, check opening days for restaurants and shops before you go.

Seollal and Chuseok together

KTO groups Seollal with Chuseok as the most widely celebrated traditional holidays. The two share a structure: both are family holidays centered on ancestors and elders, and both come with an extended public holiday so people can travel home. The difference is the season and the mood. Seollal opens the year with bows and wishes for the months ahead, while Chuseok, in autumn, gives thanks for the harvest.

Key takeaways

• Seollal is the Lunar New Year, the first day of the lunar calendar, and KTO calls it far more significant to Koreans than January 1.
• The morning centers on charye, an ancestral rite, and sebae, a deep bow to elders answered with deokdam blessings.
• Tteokguk, rice cake soup, is the signature Seollal food.
• Families play yunnori, neolttwigi, kite flying, and top spinning.
• Fortune customs such as hanging a bokjori belong to the opening days of the lunar year.