Seollal falls on the first day of the lunar calendar, usually late January or early February. It is one of the two biggest Korean family holidays. Families gather, perform charye for the ancestors, eat tteokguk (rice cake soup, which marks aging up one year), and play games together. Hanbok is the traditional dress of the day.
What people wear at Seollal
Seollal hanbok tends to be brighter and more saturated than Chuseok hanbok. The mood is celebratory, the start of a new year. Reds, pinks, and oranges are common. Saekdong rainbow-stripe sleeves are seen on children and sometimes on young adults.
Older relatives wear ceremonial hanbok, often in deeper jewel tones, silk, with embroidery. The matriarch of the family is sometimes the most formally dressed person in the room.
The sebae bow
The central ritual of Seollal is sebae, the new year bow. Younger family members bow deeply to elders and offer wishes for health and good fortune. The elders respond with words of blessing and a small gift of money in an envelope called sebaetdon.
For sebae you need to kneel. This is one reason hanbok is so well-suited to the day, the cut accommodates the deep bow easily. Western trousers and pencil skirts often do not.
What children wear
Korean children love Seollal because of the sebaetdon money and because they get to wear hanbok. Children's hanbok for Seollal is brighter than ceremonial sets, with saekdong sleeves and primary colors. Boys often wear a small jokki (vest) over the jeogori. Girls often wear pink, coral, or magenta chima with a contrasting top.
See Eric's children's hanbok.
What adults wear
Adult Seollal hanbok skews more conservative than children's. Muted reds, dusty rose, sage, dove grey. The full traditional set is more common at Seollal than at Chuseok, because Seollal carries more ceremonial weight in many families.
If you are celebrating in the US
Korean-American families in the Bay Area typically celebrate at home or at a community center. Many Korean churches and the Korean Center of San Francisco host Seollal events with food, games, and tteokguk. Hanbok is welcomed; not everyone wears it, but if you do, you will fit right in.
Order at least 4 weeks ahead
Seollal hanbok orders peak in November and December. Plan for at least 4 weeks of production from Seoul plus inspection time in San Mateo. See the Chuseok and Lunar New Year collection.
Talk to Eric
Looking for authentic hanbok for your occasion? Eric at The Korean In Me works personally with each customer, sources every piece from Seoul, and inspects it in San Mateo before it ships. Send Eric a message or text (707) 718-3579.