What Do Koreans Do in Seollal? A 3-Day Holiday Explained

Seollal is a three-day holiday in Korea. Families hold a charye ritual to honor their ancestors, bow to their elders in sebae, share tteokguk (rice cake soup), and play yutnori. If you're planning around seollal korea 2026, think of it as a family holiday more than a street festival. The celebrating happens around the table, while many shops close and trains fill up fast.

Charye, sebae, tteokguk and yutnori fill the Seollal holiday

Steaming bowl of rice cake soup beside a set of four wooden yut sticks on a warm wooden floor.

That is the short version. For a few days Korea feels very different: Seollal is the busiest travel period of the year, and most of the country is on the move toward family. For a visitor, the useful questions are what is closed, what is free, and how hard it is to get from city to city. The sections below take them in that order.

Seollal is the Korean Lunar New Year, counted from the first day of the lunar calendar

A crescent moon over a quiet tiled-roof village at dusk, with warm lights glowing in the windows.

Yes, Seollal is Korea's version of Lunar New Year. It marks the first day of the Korean lunar (lunisolar) calendar. It is a traditional festival and a public holiday.

Because the calendar is lunisolar, the date moves around on a regular Western calendar from year to year. Look up the exact days for your trip before you book flights or hotels.

Three days in a row, with Seollal day in the middle

A paper calendar page with three consecutive days circled in red ink, lying on a wooden desk.

The break runs three consecutive days. Seollal day itself sits between two extra public holidays. Some places close only on the middle day and reopen right after.

Charye honors ancestors and sebae honors elders

Charye is the ritual for remembering ancestors. Sebae is the New Year bow to elders, a way of showing respect. Both are family moments rather than public shows. As a visitor, you're more likely to hear about them than to see them.

Not every household does the full version. Food costs more during Seollal because demand rises. Some families keep charye simple, setting out only the essential dishes. Others skip some traditions altogether to save money on food and travel.

Say a Korean friend invites you to join the bowing. How to Say Happy Seollal in Korean and When to Bow covers the greeting and the timing. Wearing hanbok for the day is also fading as more people choose Western-style clothes.

Rice cake soup on the table, yutnori on the floor

Seollal tteokguk is rice cakes in beef broth, and it is the signature food of the holiday. Families share it together. Afterward, traditional folk games come out, mainly yutnori and neolttwigi, a seesaw-style jumping game.

Yutnori is easy to pick up. You throw sticks, and the result decides how many spaces your piece moves along the board.

Throw	Spaces moved
Do	1
Gae	2
Geol	3
Yut	4
Mo	5

Palaces and museums run Seollal events, and many palaces waive the entrance fee

If you want something to do as a visitor, head to a cultural site. Palaces such as Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugung hold a range of Seollal events across the country. So do museums and folk villages. Many palaces also let people in free during the holiday.

The major national museums follow a different pattern. The National Museum of Korea closes on Seollal day itself. So does the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul, Deoksugung, Gwacheon and Cheongju). They generally run as usual for the rest of the holiday, and most national museums are free to enter.

The free-entry perk for hanbok wearers comes with strict rules. Mixing a jeogori jacket with jeans, or hanbok trousers with a T-shirt, doesn't qualify.

Many shops close and trains sell out, so plan early

The most common mistake is assuming the city runs as normal. Many department stores, malls and restaurants close on Seollal day or for part of the holiday. Convenience stores and shops near tourist areas are often open, though hours vary. For what to look for, see the guide to major convenience store chains in Korea.

The second mistake is leaving transport until late. Demand for trains and express buses between cities jumps, and tickets go quickly. KTX seats on popular routes can sell out within minutes. Domestic flights get much pricier, and highways crawl on the first and last days. Check booking dates early and have a backup, such as a rental car.

Seoul's extended subway hours apply to Seoul Metro only. Last trains on Korail and other operators can differ, so check them separately.

Closed or hard to get Open or free National museums on Seollal day|Same museums the rest of the holiday Many department stores and malls|Convenience stores Many restaurants|Shops near tourist areas Popular KTX and bus seats|Many palaces, free entry

A few useful details are only in Korean. That includes the list of traditional markets joining the holiday discounts. It also includes the sites for emergency hospitals and pharmacies that stay open. If you might need either, ask your hotel or a Korean friend before the holiday begins.

Book the train, check the hours, and enjoy the quiet

Seollal is Korea's lunar New Year holiday, a three-day family occasion built around charye, sebae, tteokguk and yutnori. If you visit, book trains early and check opening hours. The national museums and many restaurants and malls shut on the day itself. Pick a palace for a free wander, keep a convenience store in your back pocket, and happy Seollal!