How to Celebrate the Korean New Year, Seollal 2026

Like most Asia countries, such as Vietnam and Malaysia, South Korea also celebrates the Lunar New Year (known as Seollal in Korean) apart from New Year's Day on January 1st. And here is your ultimate guide to the Korean New Year celebrations, from the latest date in 2026 to traditions to follow, as well as tips and the best places to experience the Seollal festival during your winter trip to South Korea.

When is the Korean New Year 2026/2027

The date of the Korean New Year 2026 is February 17. It is an annual festival that typically falls between late January and mid-February. Additionally, the Korean New Year in 2027 will take place on February 7.

How Long Does the Seollal Holiday Last

Well, the festival of Seollal in Korea is a 3-day holiday, starting from the day before the Korean Lunar New Year and lasting until the day after, which lasts from February 16 to 18 in 2026.

Most South Koreans will travel back to their family during the Seollal holiday, and the traffic this time can be the busiest with a quick sell-out - make sure to book early for your special experience of Lunar New Year in South Korea.

Seollal Holiday	Day 1	Day 2 (Korean New Year)	Day 3
2026	February 16	February 17	February 18
2027	February 6	February 7	February 8

What is the Korean New Year, Seollal

Korean New Year, or Seollal (meaning the first day of the lunar calendar), is an important traditional holiday when Korean family members gather to celebrate the coming lunar new year through ancestral worship, sharing gifts, tasting food, and playing traditional games.

It is a national and family festival for members' reunions and traditional fun, while the solar New Year on January 1st is more like a party day with fireworks and countdown ceremonies.

Are Chinese New Year & Korean New Year the Same

Simply speaking, both the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) and the Korean New Year share similar backgrounds and traditions, but each of them has its own unique celebrations.

Same

• Celebrate on the same date (according to the lunar calendar) and follow the same zodiac
• Based on the family reunion (family gathering dinner)
• Gift money symbolizing good luck and blessings for the new year

Difference

• There is a longer New Year holiday in China (about a week long)
• Ancestral worship ceremony is an important part of the Korean New Year
• Seollal in Korea is also the day to celebrate birthdays - the day everyone grows a year older

For more traditions and culture about the Lunar New Year in Korea, read on for more details of the Seollal festival.

Korean Lunar New Year Traditions & Customs

• House cleaning: In preparation for the Seollal New Year, local families will deep clean their houses as a way of wiping away bad luck and welcoming good fortune.
• Put on Hanboks: Though more and more younger generations would like to wear their modern clothes instead, putting on Hanbok, traditional Korean clothes, before the Seollal celebration is still one of the top customs during the Korean New Year.
• Do Charye, ancestral worship: Usually considered as the beginning of the rite. Korean believes that Seollal is also the day when the spirits of the ancestors will return for gathering, so food and fruits will be set out on a table as an offering, as well as a deep bow (sebae) to their ancestors.
• Take Sebae, the deep New Year's bow: It is a traditional Korean New Year's greeting to elders, in which locals will place their hands neatly together, saying "saehae bok mani badeuseyo (Please receive a lot of good fortune for the New Year)", kneel down, and bend forward deeply. Men need to bow deeply, with their hands and forehead touching the ground, while women place their hands in front of their head in a graceful gesture.

  Sebae, Traditional Korean New Year Greeting

• Give out Sebaedon, Korean New Year's money: After Sebae, elders will offer blessings and wisdom words as rewards, as well as give out lucky money (Sebaedon) in a silk pouch called bokjumeoni to children.
• Enjoy the reunion dinner: When the rite is finished, the gathering family members will share the big reunion feast, including traditional food like rice cake soup (Tteokguk), savory pancakes (Jeon), and more.
• Play Lunar New Year Game: During the Seollal holiday, Koreans usually play traditional games (which also featured in Squid Game) together to share their family time, from yutnori board games to go-stop card games, from paper jegichagi kicking to the classic yeonnaligi kite flying. For something exciting? Try neolttwigi, seesaw jumping.

Where to Join the Korean New Year Celebration

Hanok Villages for Folk Events

Though most Koreans travel back to their family and homes during the Lunar New Year holiday, culture and folk events are still bustling in South Korea, especially in those Hanok villages - the best places to experience the authentic Korean New Year.

You can put on the bright color hanbok, follow the locals there to make your New Year's bow, enjoy warm food and performances, while joining the kite making, flying, and more traditional games, no wonder the best winter travel choice for both cultural lovers and family visitors. Recommended places include:

• Namsangol Hanok Village, Seoul - for hanji (Korean paper) making, tea ceremony, taekwondo performance, and herbal medicine experience
• Korean Folk Village, Yongin - a popular K-drama filming location, ideal for bamboo, wooden, earthen, and more craftware making
• Jeonju Hanok Village, Jeonju - for more hanok houses, authentic Jeonju bibimbap (Korean rice bowl), and historical experience

Seoul's Five Palaces to Experience the Royal

Winter is one of the best times to visit Seoul's five grand palaces, graceful against the falling white snow, and free from the admission fee during the Korean New Year, including the reservation-only Jongmyo Shrine and Joseon Royal Tombs.

It could be an immersive stroll into royal history, where you can take part in the Sehwa events at Gyeongbokgung and watch the special Royal Guard Ceremony. Not to mention those folk games and cultural performances in front of the majestic palaces - a true visual feast during your winter visit to Korea.

Royal Guard Ceremony

Lotte World & Everland for Family Fun

The good news is that during the Seollal holiday, you can expect a relatively empty and less crowded environment in most themed parks in South Korea, which are also bustling with the special Lunar New Year atmosphere.

Apart from playing their various rides and attractions, prepare your camera to catch the Lotte World parades of traditional folk dance led by cartoon characters in hanbok dressing, while Everland provides a grand stage for families and kids to experience the traditional New Year's games, and for everyone to return to their carefree childhood.

More Things to Do during the Korean New Year

After experiencing the traditional and cultural fun of the Lunar New Year in Korea, there are also plenty of winter activities to fulfill your January or February trip to South Korea.

• Skiing & snowboarding - the peak skiing season with abundant and stable snowfalls, and it is easy to find nice ski resorts (such as Bears Town, Jisan Forest, and Elysian Gangchon) around Seoul within a 1-hour drive.
• Ice fishing, sledding, and more winter fun - for more ice and snow activities, join the Korean locals for ice fishing, or head to Hwacheon to catch the Sancheoneo Ice Festival before the Lunar New Year, where also bustling with sledding, ice skating for fun.
• Sunrise watching - follow the Sunrise Festival events during the solar new year, head to the seaside or up to the mountains to catch the first sunrise of the new year, as a blessing for good fortune. Popular places include Seongsan Iichulbong in Jeju Island, Ganjeolgot Park in Ulsan, and Jeongdongjin around Gangneung.
• Temple praying - a local tradition to pray for a good start and fortune for the coming New Year, also a good way to feel tranquility and temple sightseeing. With the bell-ringing ceremony, you can enjoy the festival atmosphere at Bongeunsa Temple, Seoul, and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, Jeju. If possible, try a temple stay there to enjoy a more immersive experience.

What Special Foods to Eat During the Korean New Year

Tteokguk, Rice Cake Soup

Rice cake soup served in beef-based broth, Tteokguk, is the main cuisine of the Lunar New Year in Korea to get a year older. It symbolizes the fresh start of the coming new year, and the coin-shaped rice cake is also a blessing of good luck and the upcoming prosperity.

You can find this popular Korean dish on the menu of almost every restaurant during your Seollal journey. There are also free rice cake soups on offer from local governments, Hanok villages, and museums. Feel free to try the different flavours served in various places.

Tteokguk, Korean Rice Cake Soup for Seollal New Year

Jeon, Savory Pancakes

The crisp, savory pancake of Jeon is a popular appetizer or drinking snack you can pair with rice cake soup. Made with various ingredients, from seasonal vegetables to minced fish and meat, you will love its abundance of fritter taste. As for some refreshing or sweet flavor, try Hwajeon (flower jeon) with flowers and a more honey-like taste.

Japchae, Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Noodle

Known as one of the most famous celebration dishes, nowadays it is also a popular potluck dish favored by both locals and visitors, with chewy, sweet potato noodles and stir-fried pork and vegetables to satisfy both your taste buds and stomach. Most importantly, both the warm and cold served are delicious to try.

Korean New Year Travel Tips

• The Korean New Year Greeting is "saehae bok mani badeuseyo", which means "May you receive many blessings in the New Year." It can be the most frequent sentence to say and hear during your Lunar New Year visit in Korea.
• The weather during the Lunar New Year in Korea is quite chilly and dry, with a lower average temperature between -2 to 5℃ (28 to 41℉). Snow is more common during this time, and it is windier in Seoul and around the coastal areas like Busan and Jeju Island, making the feels-like temperature much lower - don't forget to pack yourself thickly.
• Simple packing list of the Seollal festival, including: layered clothes, thick socks, anti-slip shoes, heat patch, sunglasses, glasses defogger, and moisturizing spray.
• Korea's transport is busy during this most important traditional feast. Avoid the long-distance travel on the first and last day, and make sure all your flight and train tickets are booked early during this special time.
• You can encounter a higher travel cost during the Seollal holiday, especially the hotel and transport fees (about 10 to 30% higher). Still book in advance for a more affordable price and ideal rooms. Feel free to contact us for a carefree Korean trip according to your preferences.
• Seoul is much quieter and emptier during the Korean New Year, and some small, private, and family-run stores and restaurants close their businesses for rest. So check the official operating time before your visit. While major stores, chain restaurants, and most tourist sites are still open to the public - there is no worry about your Korean sightseeing in the Lunar New Year, and Odynovo is always helpful for your dream itinerary.

Other Korean Festivals You May Also Like

• Chuseok: also known as the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival and Korean Thanksgiving. It is a festival about harvest, another traditional event to experience the Korean cultures, special festival food, and local games.
• Seoul Lantern Festival: one of the highlights of the Seoul Winter Festa, bustling with various shapes of traditional Korean paper lanterns and colorful illuminations to make your pleasant nighttime visit along the Cheonggyecheon Stream unforgettable.
• Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival: a popular winter event for outdoor funs over the thick ice of Hwacheoncheon Stream, from ice fishing to ice sledding - one of the best choices for your winter family fun during the South Korea trip.