설 연휴가 시작되는 날.
New Year's Day 보다 더 크게 기념하는 명절 구정.
Korean Lunar New Year day 는 음력으로 2024 새해 첫날로 이 날에는 멀리 살던 친척들이 모여서 지난 이야기도 하고, 맛있는 음식도 나누며 새해를 시작하는 긴 연휴입니다.
- What is Seollal for?
Seollal is a holiday and celebration which marks the first day of the Korean Lunar Calendar.
It it typically three days long, beginning the day before and ending the day after.
- What do people in Korea do on Seollal?
Families gather from all over Korea and spend time eating together, playing games and catching up their lives.
Traditionally, the family participates in "Charye", which is the ritual of ancestor worship paying their respects to both ancestors and elders. It is getting simpler as the generations are getting younger and differs by region and religion.
- What food do people have on Seollal?
For the family who prepared for the ceremony of Charye, they prepare variety of food.
"Ddeokguk" is must-have dish on Seollal. It is a rice cake soup. Children are especially excited to eat Ddeokguk because they get one year older by having a bowl of it. (Consuming a bowl of ddeokguk marks a person's Lunar Calendar Birthday.)
- What do they do when they gather around?
Families catch up their lives and play games like GoStop and YutNori. Families in Korea mostly own a set of set of "Hwatu" having 52-card decks. You will hear a lot of yelling by saying 'Go' or 'Stop' while they are playing. It can get loud due to the belief that yelling when playing your cards can improve luck. YutNori is one of the traditional. People play by throwing four marked sticks and race to the finish line.
Overall, it's the time for remembering ancestors, visiting familly, great food and fun.
Make sure not to end up with "Post-Holiday Trauma". Do not forget to take frequent rest between long driving distances and preparing a great deal of food.
We say
Happy Seollal!
Happy Lunar New Year's Day!
May all good things be with you in this new year!