Seollal is the Korean Lunar New Year, falling on the same date as Chinese New Year. It is the most important traditional holiday in Korea, celebrated with family gatherings, ancestor rites, and special foods.
Seollal traces back over 2,000 years to ancient Korean kingdoms. Despite various government attempts to replace it with January 1 during modernization periods (especially under Japanese occupation 1910-45 and the early Park Chung-hee era), Seollal returned as the primary New Year holiday.
Charye — ancestor memorial rite with prepared foods placed on a special altar. Sebae — children bow to elders and receive blessings and "sebaetdon" (cash gifts). Wearing hanbok (traditional dress). Playing traditional games: yutnori (board game), jegichagi (footbag), neolttwigi (seesaw jumping).
Tteokguk — sliced rice cake soup — eaten on Seollal morning. Eating it traditionally adds one year to your age. Mandu (dumplings), galbijjim (braised short ribs), jeon (savory pancakes), various banchan (side dishes).
"새해 복 많이 받으세요" (Saehae bok mani badeuseyo — Receive many blessings in the new year).
3-day public holiday (the day before, the day, and the day after). Largest annual mass migration in Korea. Trains, buses, and air tickets to home regions sell out months ahead. KTX (high-speed rail) tickets are highly contested. Seoul empties.