What is Seollal? All you need to know about the Korean Lunar New Year

Novel Yr’s celebrations vary all over the globe. While many countries mark the occasion on January 1st, others, equivalent to China and Korea, like fun at various times. In Korea, Novel Yr is neatly-known on Seollal, or Korean Novel Yr, which spans three days collectively with the day sooner than and after Novel Yr’s Day. This vacation is seen in each and each South Korea and North Korea.

What does the note Seollal mean?

Seol, written as 설 in Center Korean Hangul, within the origin intended “year of age,” as it modified into as soon as the day when Koreans historically grew to change into one year older. On the change hand, this dispute modified in South Korea as of 2023. The stylish Korean note for “age,” sal, is derived from the similar origin as seol. Nal (날) design day in Korean, stemming from Oldschool Korean NAl. The Hanja term won-il is dilapidated when regarding the date of the lunar fresh year within the Korean calendar itself.

The Korean lunisolar calendar, like those of different East Asian countries equivalent to Japan, Mongolia, and Vietnam, is in response to historical variants of Chinese language calendars, such because the Shixian calendar of the Ming dynasty. While China and Japan like various phrases for his or her respective fresh years, they share a in style heritage with Korea in their calendar programs.

When and how is Seollal neatly-known?

Korean Novel Yr, identified as Seollal or Korean Lunar Novel Yr, falls on various dates in January or February each and each year, looking on the lunar calendar. In 2024, Seollal is neatly-known on Saturday, February Tenth, with festivities spanning three days—origin the day sooner than and concluding the day after. Historically, families win on the dwelling of their eldest male relative to honor ancestors and elders. Central to the celebration is the ritual of ancestor like, accompanied by communal meals, video games, and the tradition of “Sebae,” where formative years and students bow to their elders and receive token provides of money.

The household historically engages in a meticulously structured ritual of ancestor reverence identified as “charye.” In the route of charye, female household prepare food whereas male household assist it to the ancestors. Both genders participate within the remainder step of the ceremony known as “eumbok,” where they eat the food, looking for the ancestors’ blessings for the upcoming year. Even though the categorical dishes prepared for ancestors might per chance presumably additionally simply vary by situation, sure principles, such because the placement of food, are continuously consistent all over traditions.

Celebrating Korean Novel Yr contains varied preparations and traditions. On the predominant morning, Koreans pay homage to their ancestors by putting former meals on a table as choices. The household engages in a rite, marked by deep bows from all participants, signifying admire and significance. This dispute also contains prayers for the properly-being of household. Many Koreans resolve to don keen former attire identified as hanbok, normally reserved for particular cases like weddings and Novel Yr celebrations. On the change hand, due to the modernization and changing cultural norms, more other folks disappear for westernized attire over hanbok. Following the rite, the household enjoys a lavish feast collectively.

Food of Seollal

While the categorical dishes prepared for the charye ceremony might per chance presumably additionally simply vary by situation, in style parts encompass rice, soup, meat, seafood, liquor, fruit, and greens. On Novel Yr’s Day in South Korea, the staple dish is tteokguk, a former soup made with rice cakes (tteok) in a pork-basically based mostly mostly broth. It’s normally garnished with thinly sliced egg, green onion, and meat. Adaptations might per chance presumably additionally simply encompass soy sauce within the soup corrupt or the addition of Korean dumplings identified as mandu.

The white color of the rice cakes in tteokguk is believed to indicate “purity and cleanliness” in Korean culture. It’s a long way most steadily believed that drinking tteokguk provides one other year to one’s existence, making it a vital dish for Novel Yr’s celebrations. The origins of tteokguk might per chance presumably per chance be traced encourage to the nineteenth century. Teenagers, in explicit, eagerly dwell up for eating tteokguk because drinking a bowl marks their Lunar Calendar Birthday.

Scrumptious pancakes identified as jeon are a staple of Korean Novel Yr’s feasts. These pancakes are made with varied fillings equivalent to meat, seafood, and greens, rising a flavorful fried facet dish. Standard fillings encompass shredded pork, oysters, kimchi, and green onion.

One other dish typically enjoyed in some unspecified time in the future of Lunar Novel Yr celebrations is japchae. This noodle dish aspects pork, greens like spinach, carrots, mushrooms, and chili peppers, alongside with clear cellophane noodles created from potato starch. The ingredients are rush-fried and tossed in a sauce created from soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, ensuing in a luscious and gratifying dish.

Video games played on Seollal

In the route of downtime between meals and conversations, Korean families in overall engage in former video games like GoStop and Yut Nori. Equivalent to how Western households like unique 52-card decks, most Korean families like a space of Hwatu taking part in playing cards. GoStop, played with Hwatu playing cards, is a easy sport in overall fascinating tiny bets and played by 2 or 3 of us.

Hwatu interprets to Battle of Vegetation, referencing the keen images adorning the forty eight playing cards within the deck. Every deck contains 12 items of 4 within the same design designed playing cards, representing the twelve months of the year. Avid gamers form parts by matching card aspects in varied combos. After amassing 3 or 7 parts, avid gamers must mediate whether or now to not proceed (fling) or pause (end) the sport. Aspects are tallied, with adjustments in response to the sequence of fling calls, and tiny sums of money are exchanged accordingly.

Video games normally closing around 15 minutes, providing a stress-free and relaxed design for all people to unwind. GoStop video games are in overall tantalizing, with avid gamers believing that shouting when taking part in playing cards can verbalize appropriate fair appropriate fortune.

Korean zodiac

Koreans be conscious a zodiac scheme much just like the Chinese language zodiac, consisting of 12 animals representing the 12 years in sequential deliver. Based fully on memoir, Buddha invited animals from around the enviornment to chat about with, with simplest 12 responding. In honor of their consult with, Buddha named the years within the deliver they arrived.

Every zodiac animal is believed to verbalize explicit sources and qualities. To illustrate, the Yr of the Horse, equivalent to 2014, modified into as soon as considered favorable for funds and occupation advancement. Koreans take into consideration other folks born in a particular zodiac year inherit the characteristics of that animal, influencing their persona and destiny. Which capability that, Koreans in overall belief their actions and choices around their zodiac impress to be sure a affluent year. Some of us even fair to like their formative years born in explicit zodiac years to advise desired characteristics.

Seollal in Korean Leisure

For followers of Korean entertainment, the Lunar Novel Yr celebration provides a pleasant address within the originate of particular episodes from their favorite presentations. Iconic Korean kind programs like So much of Advise, 2 Days 1 Night, Curious Brothers, and others like a rich tradition of crafting joyous and heartwarming episodes to mark the occasion.

Stay updated with the most fresh Hallyu news on: Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Fb and Snapchat