Korean New Year is commonly known as Seolnal. In Korea, people follow the lunar calendar.
New Years Day in Korea is a celebration of the first day of the lunar calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. Koreans celebrate this day by
playing games, eating special holiday foods (I will describe this more below!), and bowing to their parents using a special, traditional way of bowing. Also, on Seolnal, we
wear the Han Bok, which is a very traditional form of dress. What makes this day special is that all members of ones family gather together. This includes: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Seolnal Games:
"Yut-no-ri" is a game played using four wooden sticks. Many people can play at once. It is like a Western boardgame. You throw the sticks in the air, and you move forward depending on how the sticks land.
"Nul-dduy-gi" is a game just for girls! It is like a Western see-saw. It used to be for poorer girls in old Korean days. But today, they have it for anyone in Seolnal festivals. You jump up and down on a wooden board, instead of sitting like on the see-saw.
Special Foods:
"Ddok-guk" or "Ddok soup" is made of rice cakes in a hot broth. Many Koreans believe that when you eat this on Seolnal, you become one year older. This is why people eat it on New Years Day! This is important because in Korea, you turn one year older on Seolnal, not on your actual birthday. Everyone's birthday is the same day, kind of.
The food on Seolnal is usually not very different than any other day, but it is more carefully and specially made for families.
Interesting Facts:
- On Seolnal, kids get money when they bow to their parents!
- "Jae sa" is a special bow to passed grandparents and ancestors. We do this on New Years Day. It is important to wear socks when bowing to them.
- During Jae sa, you must place the foods in a special order on the dining table. This is because Korean people believe that their ancestors are eating with them.
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