Have you ever noticed that the K-Pop industry always takes a little break between the end of January and the end of February? New albums and fan merchandise actually come out every day, but during this period it suddenly goes quiet for three or four days. Behind it is the Korean New Year festival “Seollal”! It is one of the most important holidays in Korea and is said to have been celebrated since the 7th century.
When is Seollal celebrated?
Seollal is usually celebrated on the same day as the Chinese New Year festival, because both festivals follow the Chinese lunar calendar. Accordingly, the year always begins with the new moon between January 21 and February 2.
This year, Seollal takes place on February 10.
According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, this marks the beginning of the Year of the Dragon and the end of the Year of the Rabbit.
In Korea, not only the day itself is a public holiday, but also the day before and the day after. Because February 11 is a Sunday, Koreans get the Monday off as a replacement. In 2023, the new moon fell on January 22, and in 2025 Seollal will be celebrated on January 29.
About every 24 years, there is an exception where Seollal and the Chinese New Year do not fall on the same day. Namely, when the new moon occurs between 11 p.m. and midnight Chinese time. Korea is one hour ahead of China, so it is already between midnight and 1 a.m. there.
Where does the name “Seollal” come from?
“Seol” is the Korean word for “New Year” and “nal” is the Korean word for “day”. The n in “nal” was adapted to an “l”, and that is how the word “Seollal” came about.
Seollal is celebrated in both South and North Korea:
South Koreans do celebrate New Year's Eve like the rest of the world, but Seollal means much more to them. Most of them visit their families during the holidays to spend the festival together. However, many of them no longer place great importance on the traditional ceremonies and rituals that were often performed on Seollal.
In North Korea, Seollal was abolished in 1967 and has no longer been an official holiday since then. In 1989, however, it was reintroduced and, as in South Korea, now includes three public holidays.
Even though many families spend the festival in their own way today, we want to briefly explain how Seollal is traditionally celebrated:
Seollal is a family festival. Everyone wears hanboks, traditional Korean garments, and sets up an altar with food and drinks to honor their ancestors. Afterwards, the younger family members wish their parents and grandparents good health and bow to them to show respect. In return, the elders give the younger ones their blessing and small gifts of money. Then traditional games are played and traditional food is served.
On the occasion of Seollal, we wish you a successful and, above all, healthy new year!
Sources: The Korea Herald
