Dressed in hanbok, children bow to their parents and older family members on “seollal” and in return, the elders offer words of a good luck in the coming year and give some money called “sebaetdon.” / Korea Times file photo
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Tens of millions of Koreans brave awful traffic congestion to travel to their hometowns every ``seollal,'' or Lunar New Year Day. Why do they do so?

They are celebrating the Korean custom of greeting the Lunar New Year with their families and relatives.

``Seollal'' is one of the nation's biggest holidays, along with ``chuseok,'' or Korean Thanksgiving Day. This year, ``seollal'' falls on Feb. 7 and the holidays begin on Feb. 6 and will continue through the entire weekend.

The word, ``seol'' originates from ``natseolda,'' which means ``unfamiliar'' to the New Year. So ``seol'' suggests we should be extra careful on the day.

It is not exactly known when ``seollal'' was first celebrated. But the Lunar New Year rituals are estimated to go back to the 6th century when people adopted the lunar calendar, according to the National Folk Museum of Korea.

But ancestors worship rites date back much further. Seollal is a day to pay respect to parents and to deceased ancestors. This form of ritual involves various customs.

On ``seollal,'' Koreans wear hanbok (traditional Korean costume) and have ancestor-memorial services, bow to their elders and give blessings to each other for a happy new year.

Charye: ancestral ritual

In the morning, Koreans perform ``charye,'' or a ceremonial rite honoring deceased ancestors on festive days, serving food and traditional wine at the ancestral grave.

This is the most important part of the day, as Koreans believe that ``seollal'' is a sacred day when ancestors and descendants come together, strengthening spiritual family ties between them.

Women laboriously prepare all festive dishes not only for family and friends, but also as offerings for the ritual.

At the ritual, there is a traditional table order to arrange a variety of dishes. In the back row, drinks and ``tteokguk,'' soup with oval-shaped slices of white rice cake, are placed to the left and right. In the second row from the back, three kinds of hot pot dishes ― meat, vegetable and fish ― are placed. In the middle row of the table are various ``jeon,'' Korean pancakes containing chopped vegetables, and ``jeok,'' grilled meat. The ``jeok'' is placed on the west side. Pieces of fish ``jeon'' are laid in the middle. Vegetable ``jeon'' are to the east. In the second front row, pieces of ``po,'' dried slices of fish, are put on the left with other side dishes in the middle.

``Sujeonggwa,'' a sweet, cinnamon and persimmon drink, is placed to the right. In the front row, fruits are placed by color order: red fruits on the right, white on the left. These fruits include dates, peeled chestnuts, unpeeled pears and persimmons. But the table order can vary depending on family tradition.

Koreans eat ``tteokguk'' after the ritual because according to Korean belief, eating a bowl of ``tteokguk'' is associated with becoming a year older. The dish is made with thin slices of rice-cake rolls, leeks, eggs and strips of meat.

Wearing hanbok

Many Koreans traditionally wear ``hanbok'' or ``seolbim,'' new clothes prepared especially for the day.

The women's hanbok is comprised of a wraparound skirt and a jacket. It is often called ``chima-jeogori,'' ― ``chima'' being the Korean word for skirt and ``jeogori'' the word for jacket.

The men's hanbok consists of a short jacket and pants, called ``baji,'' that are roomy and bound at the ankles.

Both ensembles may be topped by a long coat of a similar cut called ``durumagi.''

The hanbok has beautiful colors and is elegantly shaped, making it popular among foreigners. Good places to buy a hanbok are Gwangjang Market, Namdaemun Market, Doosan Tower and other large fashion malls in Dongdaemun area, the fashion town.

The prices of hanbok vary depending on designs and materials.

Sebae: New Year's Bow

The new year's bow, called ``sebae,'' is also important. ``Sebae'' is performed by kneeling down and bowing politely to the elderly among family and relatives.

Dressed in hanbok, one bows and then offers New Year's greetings to grandparents, parents and older family members. In return, the elders bestow food and drink, giving some money called ``sebaetdon'' and well wishes.

These include ``Have a happy and healthy New Year,'' or ``Make a lot of money and become wealthy.''

This is called ``deokdam,'' which means wishes for good health and success in the coming year, such as ``Saehae bok mani badeuseyo'' (I hope you have much good fortune in the New Year).

Lucky Ladles: Bokjori

Among other folk customs practiced on this day, hanging or holding bamboo-woven ladles, called ``bokjori,'' in houses is regarded as one of the most widely-known customs on the Lunar New Year's Day.

Bamboo-woven ladles have traditionally been used for washing and handling rice and other grains. But their association with rice, which is believed to be a bountiful harvest, and good fortune, has made these ladles a symbol of good luck for the Lunar New Year.

This practice is associated with the belief that buying ``bokjori'' early at dawn, especially far in advance of others, will bring happiness and good fortune to their homes.

So Koreans used to hang ``bokjori'' up in their houses from Lunar New Year's Eve until Lunar New Year's Day, hoping to ward off bad luck in the transition from one year to the next. Generally, you will find a pair of ``bokjori'' in every Korean kitchen or hung in a corner of a room.

They are sometimes adorned with colored threads and can also contain money or toffees as a sign of good luck.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr