Korean New Year "Seollal"
One of the most celebrated holidays in Korea is "Seollal" - New Year according to the lunar calendar.
¡°Seollal¡± usually falls between January and February on the lunar calendar, this year it falls on Jan. 29th.
Seollal is a time for families to unite, so Koreans have 3 days of Seollal holidays: 1 day for a trip to the parents
house, 1 day for celebration and 1 day for getting back.
Seollal Preparations
- Traditional cloth "Hanbok"
Seollal is a holiday when you can see people dressed in a beautiful traditional dress - Korean "Hanbok"!
The everyday use of the dress, however, has been lost, Koreans wear it on special occasions and holidays.
Hanbok shops and department stores have the biggest "hanbok" sales for Seollal and Chuseok.
- Presents for Seollal
There is a tradition to give each other the presents for Seollal. Just before Seollal you can find a wide variety
of present sets in department stores: fruit sets, sets of drinks, bath gift sets, etc.
Celebrating "Seollal"
- Ancestral service "Charye"
New Year¡¯s morning begins with a traditional ceremony "Charye" of an ancestral service, when family members put a special food set and bow down in front of the ancestor¡¯s names. If you live in an apartment in Korea, you will know about the holiday from the previous day, you can smell delicious food prepared for Seollal!
After the ceremony is finished the ceremony dishes are shared among family members.
- New Year's bows "sebae"
This part of Seollal is loved by all youngers in the family performing New Year's bows "sebae" and being given gift of money in return.
"Sebae" is practised even in preschools to the eldest persons and kids get sweets in return for bowing.
- Traditional food
For a Lunar New Year in Korea family members share
"Ttokkuk" - thinly sliced white rice cakes cooked in beef broth. Eating tteokguk is symbolic of aging one more year.
Photo: encyber.com
That is how sliced white rice cake (ttok) is made traditionally.
The traditional Seollal greeting is "Sehebok Mani Paduseyo!" in Korean.
Many New Year's blessings to you!
Seollal - wonderful traditional Korean holiday!
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