TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - When the Chinese community celebrates the Chinese New Year on February 17, 2026, the people of South Korea celebrate Seollal. The Korean Lunar New Year is one of the most celebrated traditional holidays in the East Asian country, marked by families sharing food, honoring ancestors, playing traditional games, and eating tteokguk, a soup made with sliced rice cakes.
As reported by Travel and Leisure, Seollal is rooted in the strong Confucian tradition of Korea, traced all the way back to the 7th century. Records of this festival appear in Chinese texts. The celebration has been observed for over 2,000 years by ancient farming communities.
However, the celebration became more formal during the Joseon Dynasty, between 1392 and 1897. The holiday signifies filial piety (a fundamental Confucian virtue of respecting and caring for ancestors, parents, and elders), a time for renewal and shedding the past year, and welcoming luck for the coming year.
Seollal is held alongside the Chinese New Year, precisely on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival usually falls in January or February each year.
Seollal festivities usually last for three days, including the eve of the New Year, the day itself, and the day after. Cultural venues throughout Seoul often hold special programs for this festival.
The celebration typically begins with homecoming travel to reunite with family. On the day of the celebration, people wear hanbok, traditional Korean clothing.
Respect for ancestors is expressed through a carefully arranged table of food offerings at home or family shrines. Elders in the house light incense, pour rice wine, and bow before the ancestors' portraits before sharing food.
Differences with Chinese New Year
Although celebrated at the same time, there are significant differences between the two celebrations. First, Seollal is celebrated for 3 days, while the Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days.
Seollal also focuses more on family-centered celebrations, while the Chinese New Year is marked by grand public events.
This Korean festival emphasizes the ritual of honoring ancestors, while the Chinese New Year focuses on attracting luck by wearing red and driving away evil spirits with fireworks.
The food is also different. Seollal is celebrated with the traditional dish tteokguk, while the Chinese New Year is celebrated with fish as a symbol of luck and abundance.
Read: 5 Traditional Chinese New Year Foods to Bring Luck and Prosperity
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