春节 (Chūnjié)(رأس السنة الصينية) في 🇰🇷 كوريا الجنوبية

Seollal (Lunar New Year) is one of Korea's two most important traditional holidays, alongside Chuseok. The three-day public holiday triggers a mass migration as Koreans return to their hometowns for ancestral rites and family gatherings. Highways and trains are packed, and KTX (high-speed rail) tickets sell out weeks in advance.

The morning begins with charye, an ancestral memorial rite where families prepare an elaborate table of food offerings for their ancestors. The arrangement follows strict rules: rice and soup in the north, fruit and rice cakes in the south, fish in the east, meat in the west. Family members bow (sebae) to their elders in order of age, and elders give sebaetdon (New Year's money) in return.

Tteokguk (rice cake soup) is the essential Seollal food. Eating a bowl symbolizes gaining one year of age (in the traditional Korean age system). The white rice cakes represent purity and the fresh start of a new year. Other dishes include japchae (glass noodles), jeon (savoury pancakes), galbi-jjim (braised short ribs), and an array of banchan.

Traditional games include yutnori (a board game played with throwing sticks), neolttwigi (seesaw jumping), and kite flying. Children wear hanbok (traditional clothing) and play with paengi (spinning tops). Korean television networks air special Seollal variety shows and movies.

The most important traditional Chinese festival marking the beginning of the lunar new year, celebrated with family reunions, red envelopes, fireworks, dragon dances, and elaborate feasts.