WHAT IS SEOLLAL?
Seollal (설날) or Lunar New Year is one of the two biggest holidays in Korea and, rightfully so, as it marks the start of another year. It is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, so the exact dates differ from year to year. This year, it lands on February 10, 2024. And, since it’s such a big holiday, most people get February 9, 2024 to February 12, 2024 off and we’re all looking forward to it!
WHEN IS LUNAR NEW YEAR?
The date is set according to the lunar calendar which means it changes every year. This year, Lunar New Year is set for February 10th.
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HOW DO KOREANS CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR?
Much like Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), Lunar New Year is a time to visit your hometown and enjoy meals, play games and catch up with family. Many families will perform a ceremony called charye (차례), which is a type of ancestral memorial service. This consists of prayer, bowing and a table set with an elaborate spread of traditional foods. Typically they are arranged in a way that helps welcome ancestral spirits into the home to enjoy the feast and share in the start of a new year.
Another important part of Lunar New Year is sebae (세배). This is where the younger generations gives a traditional bow to their elders to wish them good fortune in the new year. In return, they will receive advice or words of wisdom from their elders along with Sebaetdon (세뱃돈), an envelope filled with new years money.
While we don’t have any human children of our own, we do have our furbaby Uyu. So every Lunar New Year, he bows to my husband’s father and receives some words of wisdom along with a new toy. It’s really adorable.
TRAVELING DURING LUNAR NEW YEAR
During Lunar New Year, families usually travel to their hometowns or the homes of the head of their family. This means plane, bus and train tickets are booked and sold out way in advance and traffic is on a whole other level of atrociousness.
On top of all that, train tickets are regularly sold out weeks ahead of time. If you’re in or planning on visiting Korean during this time, keep this in mind.
WHAT TO WEAR DURING LUNAR NEW YEAR?
From a foreigner’s perspective, one might expect to see an entire country clad in traditional hanbok on Lunar New Year, but that actually isn’t the case. Usually it’s the children who are expected to wear hanbok, though on occasion you may see a whole family dressed in matching hanbok. Recently, however, a lot of people are opting back into the tradition by wearing daily hanboks. There are also a fair amount of dogs who are actively carrying on the tradition by wearing their best hanbok.
WHAT TO EAT DURING LUNAR NEW YEAR?
Much like Chuseok, Lunar New Year is a to enjoy lots and lots of good home-cooked food and we certainly do in our house. Traditionally the food is prepared by the women of the house, in this case, that’s just me. I usually spend 2 days preparing all the food, as I make everything from scratch. My husband usually helps with dishes and cleanup.
Every household is different, but tteokguk, or rice cake soup, is synonymous with Lunar New Year in Korea. This dish signifies another year of growing older and new beginnings (which is why I’m always happy to share my recipe). I absolutely love tteokguk and my friends used to tease me by telling me every time I eat a bowl, I’m becoming another year older. **Korean humor**
Some other common dishes you’ll find on any table would be different kinds of jeon, japchae, galbi jjim, hangwa (한과), sikhye and a variety of other things. Some families even make dumplings together. I usually focus on making the things my family enjoys eating, rather than just traditional ones.
If you’re looking for some good traditional Korean food, we recommend Insa-dong Geujip. It’s a traditional Korean restaurant nestled inside a renovated wooden hanok (traditional Korean house). They serve all sorts of traditional Korean dishes and we’re yet to order anything that wasn’t completely delicious. The prices are definitely on the higher side (being in a touristy area), but the portions are large and most dishes can easily feed 3~4 people.
I’M VISITING DURING LUNAR NEW YEAR, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Just because you’re visiting doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the holiday as well. Actually, this is the perfect time to rent a hanbok and visit historical sites. The Gyeongbokgung palace (along with all the other palaces), Namsangol Hanok Village and many others will be free admission. Many places will also be offering traditional Korean experiences or showing traditional Korean performances.
Bukchondorak Lunar New Year Celebration
When: February 10 & 24, 2024 (10 AM – 4 PM)
Where: Bukchon Culture Center (Naver Maps)
The Bukchon Culture Center will be hosting Lunar New Year’s festivities including performances, arts and crafts and traditional folk games. As far as interactive activities go, this is one of the most varied but slots for certain activities are very limited. Check out their online reservation (Korean only) in order to reserve your slots.
If you’re looking for other things to do in Bukchon, check out our one-day interary!
Gyeongbokgung Palace
When: February 10, 2024
Where: Gyeongbokgung Palace (Naver Maps)
All the palaces in Seoul will be open and free to the public. But, a lesser known secret are the free posters available at Gyeongbokgung. These posters are available every year and come in two varieties. Visitors can receive the posters after the changing of the guard ceremonies, but are a random draw. Still, they’re worth picking up if you’re in the area. If you’ve never visited, check out our guide to Gyeongbokgung palace.
2024 Namsangol Lunar New Year Festvial
When: February 9 – 11, 2024
Where: Namsangol Hanok Village (Naver Maps)
Located at the base of Namsan mountain, Namsangol Hanok Village is a popular tourist attraction year-round. But, it’s especially popular during the holidays when they lots of cultural events and performances.
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2024 Unhyeongung Lunar New Year Folk Festival
When: February 9 – 12, 2024 (11 AM – 4 PM)
Where: Unhyeongung (Naver Maps)
Unhyeongung is one of the smallest and most underrated palaces in Seoul. In addition to being one of most recently built palaces, it was also one of the last to be occupied by the royal family. And, recently, it’s been the home to multiple cultural events. For Lunar New Year, they’ll be hosting traditional games, crafting experiences, and traditional performances. If you’re looking for a taste of Korean folk culture, this is a good bet.
2024 Lunar New Year Museum Jamboree
When: February 11, 2024 (10 AM – 5 PM)
Where: Hanseong Baekje Museum (Naver Maps)
The Hanseong Baekje Museum will be hosting a jamboree event on February 11th for Lunar New Year. There will be a Korean folk dance performance as well as a sword dance performance (11 AM, 2 PM) as well as crafts, photozones, and traditional folk games.
2024 Traditional Culture Festival, TRADITION NOW
When: February 7 – 25, 2024
Where: Culture Station Seoul 284 (Naver Maps)
The Korea Craft & Design Foundation will be hosting their yearly Traditional Culture Festival at Culture Station Seoul 284 from February 7th to the 25th. The festival features cultural exhibits exploring Korean food, fashion (hanboks) and traditional games. There are also exhibits for Culture Station Seoul 284 itself which has an interesting history all its own.
BTS Events
February 18th is J-Hope’s birthday! That means birthday events celebrating the Gwangju-natve throughout the country. Check out our list of BTS events for when and where to get your fill of cute cafes and photo cards.
