What Is Seollal? Korean Lunar New Year Explained
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
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What Is Seollal?
설날 (Seollal) is Korean Lunar New Year, Korea's other major traditional holiday alongside Chuseok. Families gather, perform 세배 (sebae, a formal bow to elders), eat 떡국 (tteokguk, rice cake soup — traditionally eating a bowl means you've gained a year of age), and children receive 세뱃돈 (sebaetdon), New Year's money, after bowing.
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1. What is 세배?
This isn't January 1. 설날 is a big holiday in Korea.
The Basics
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| When | 1st day of the 1st lunar month (usually late January to mid-February — see the dates below) |
| Length | A 3-day holiday, like Chuseok |
| Signature food | 떡국 (tteokguk) — sliced rice cake soup |
| Signature custom | 세배 (sebae) — a deep formal bow to elders |
A note on spelling. The official romanization of 설날 is Seollal, but you'll also see it written Sollal, Seolnal or Sulnal. They're all the same word.
See also: What Is Chuseok?
When Is Seollal? Dates for 2025–2030
| Year | Seollal day | 3-day public holiday | Substitute day off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wednesday, January 29 | Tuesday, January 28 – Thursday, January 30 | None — but Monday, January 27 was added as a one-off extra holiday (임시공휴일) |
| 2026 | Tuesday, February 17 | Monday, February 16 – Wednesday, February 18 | None |
| 2027 | Sunday, February 7 | Saturday, February 6 – Monday, February 8 | Tuesday, February 9 |
| 2028 | Thursday, January 27 | Wednesday, January 26 – Friday, January 28 | None (expected) |
| 2029 | Tuesday, February 13 | Monday, February 12 – Wednesday, February 14 | None (expected) |
| 2030 | Sunday, February 3 | Saturday, February 2 – Monday, February 4 | Tuesday, February 5 (expected) |
Like Chuseok, the holiday is three days: the day before, Seollal itself, and the day after. If any of the three falls on a Sunday — not a Saturday — the next working day becomes a substitute day off (대체공휴일), which is why 2027 and 2030 get a Tuesday off. The Seollal dates come from the official lunar calendar and won't change; the substitute days for 2028–2030 are expected, since each year's official calendar is published around June of the year before, and the government can still add a one-off extra holiday, as it did in 2025.
세배 (Sebae): The New Year's Bow
On the morning of Seollal, younger family members perform 세배 — a full formal bow to parents and grandparents, often while wearing 한복 (traditional Korean clothing). It's a direct, physical display of the same age-based respect that shapes honorifics and speech level year-round — just concentrated into one especially formal ritual moment.
새해 복 많이 받으세요.
saehae bok mani badeuseyo.
Happy New Year (literally: receive a lot of luck/blessing in the new year).
Said before or after bowing — the standard Seollal greeting.
What to actually say on the day: 새해 복 많이 받으세요 and 4 more.
세뱃돈 (Sebaetdon): New Year's Money
After performing 세배, children (and often unmarried younger relatives generally) receive 세뱃돈 — cash, traditionally placed in a decorative envelope — from elders. It's one of the most anticipated parts of the holiday for kids, similar in spirit to red envelope money in other East Asian New Year traditions.
떡국 (Tteokguk) and Turning a Year Older
Eating a bowl of 떡국 on Seollal is traditionally tied to turning a year older — there's a common saying that you can't officially become a year older until you've eaten your tteokguk. This connects to the older 세는 나이 (Korean age) system discussed on the age-system page, where everyone's age traditionally ticked up together at New Year's rather than individually on each person's birthday.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Confusing Seollal with January 1st
January 1st (신정, New Year's Day on the solar calendar) is a minor holiday in Korea. Seollal, on the LUNAR calendar, is the major traditional one.
Mistake #2 — Assuming 세배 is casual
It's a formal, structured bow with a specific posture — not a casual nod. Increasingly, some modern families keep it lighter, but the traditional version is quite formal.
Mini Quiz
2. What do children typically receive after performing 세배?
3. What's the traditional saying about eating 떡국 on Seollal?
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