A Childhood Memory of Seollal
As a child, Seollal[suhl-lahl] was the one day when our house felt completely full. Relatives we didn’t see often arrived throughout the day, filling the rooms with greetings and laughter.
The kitchen stayed busy—people helping, tasting, and cooking together. When we finally sat down to eat, no one rushed. The food lingered, the conversations stretched, and the day unfolded slowly.
After the meal, the adults settled in, smiling, and the children were asked to sing or dance. It was awkward and a little embarrassing, but we practiced just for that moment. When it ended, the room filled with laughter—the kind that stays with you.
That was Seollal to me: coming together, sharing food, and lingering a little longer. Long before I understood its traditions, I knew how it felt. And that feeling is why Seollal has always been the warmest day of the year.
Seollal: Korea’s Lunar New Year, and Why It Feels Different
If you visit Korea in winter, you’ll notice something quietly unusual. The air feels sharper. Train stations grow crowded. People move through the streets carrying carefully wrapped gift boxes. It isn’t Christmas. It’s Seollal, Korea’s Lunar New Year—one of the most important holidays of the year.
Seollal is the time when families return home, bow to elders, remember ancestors, and begin the year with a bowl of steaming rice cake soup. It’s often translated simply as “Korean Lunar New Year,” but that translation misses something essential.
In feeling, Seollal is closer to a blend of New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and a long-awaited family reunion—shaped by ritual, food, and a deep emotional pull toward home.
Seollal marks the first day of the Korean lunisolar calendar and usually arrives in late January or February. The word seol itself is often explained as referring to something new or unfamiliar, something approached with care. That meaning reflects the holiday well. Seollal isn’t about rushing forward It’s about stepping into the new year slowly, with awareness of what came before.
Emotionally, it doesn’t feel like a simple calendar reset. It feels more like the beginning of a family year
There’s a familiar joke many Koreans grow up hearing: you don’t really get older until you eat tteokguk[tuhk-gook], the New Year’s soup. It’s said lightly, but the idea behind it is sincere. Seollal marks the moment when your “new-year self” officially begins.
The Heart of Seollal: Coming Back to Each Other
Ask a Korean what Seollal is really about, and the answers are rarely abstract. They talk about going back to their hometown. They talk about seeing grandparents. They talk about sitting down to eat together.
They remember staying up late, sharing stories that don’t come up during ordinary phone calls—stories that seem to appear only when everyone is finally in the same room again.
There’s a small moment that repeats itself in many homes. Someone arrives carrying too many gift boxes. Someone else insists they brought far too little. Everyone claims the meal is “simple,” even though the table clearly isn’t. An elder says, “Eat more.” A younger person answers, “I’m full.” And somehow, everyone eats more anyway. That moment—unremarkable and completely familiar—is Seollal.
Traditions, Games, and Long Afternoons
Many families begin Seollal with charye[chah-ryeh], a ritual honoring ancestors. Food is prepared carefully and offered with respect. While the details vary from family to family today—some keeping it traditional, others simplifying or skipping it entirely— the intention remains the same: acknowledging where you come from.
Later, younger family members perform sebae[seh-bae], a deep New Year’s bow to elders. Formal greetings are offered, and blessings are given in return. In many households, those words—spoken gently once a year—are remembered long after the day itself
And then the pace shifts. Seollal isn’t only solemn. It’s relaxed and playful. A traditional game called yutnori[yoot-no-ree] often appears, played with four wooden sticks and plenty of laughter. Board games, card games, and simple snacks fill the long afternoon. There’s no schedule to keep. That unhurried feeling is part of what makes the day special.
Seollal Food: What Brings Everyone to the Table
Tteokguk, the Soup That Opens the Year
The signature Seollal dish is tteokguk, a rice cake soup served on New Year’s Day. The white rice cakes are often said to symbolize a clean start. Their sliced shape is compared to old-style coins, quietly wishing for prosperity. Traditionally, eating tteokguk is associated with welcoming the new year—along with the familiar joke about getting a year older.
Many families add mandu dumplings, turning the soup into something more filling and celebratory. Beyond symbolism, tteokguk does something simple and important. It warms the body, slows the pace, and brings everyone to the table at the same time.
Jeon and the Sound of a Holiday Kitchen
Another staple of Seollal is jeon[jeon], savory pan-fried pancakes made with vegetables, seafood, or meat. Jeon takes time. And that time matters. The steady sound of sizzling oil, the quiet teamwork in the kitchen, and the smell drifting through the house are often what people remember years later—not the exact recipes.
In the end, Seollal is carried through food—not elaborate dishes meant to impress, but familiar foundations that make a table feel like home.
FAQ
What is Seollal?
Seollal is Korea’s Lunar New Year and one of the country’s most important holidays. It marks the beginning of the year based on the lunar calendar and centers on family gatherings, ancestral remembrance, and shared meals.
How is Seollal different from Western New Year celebrations?
While Western New Year is often energetic and outward-facing, Seollal is calm and reflective. It focuses on family, food, respect for elders, and beginning the year with intention rather than parties or countdowns.
Where can I find authentic Korean Lunar New Year foods in the U.S.?
Kim’C Market curates high-quality Korean ingredients and traditional foods sourced directly from Korea, making it easy to recreate Seollal dishes and traditions at home.