Seollal, Korean New Year - Talk about an important holiday that is celebrated in your country.

Seollal, Korean New Year, is one of the most important national holidays in Korea. It is celebrated on the third of February, according to the Lunar calendar, a calendar based on the different phases of the moon, and it is a three-day national holiday. Traditionally, families gather from all over Korea at the house of their oldest male relative to pay their respects to both elders and ancestors.
During Seollal celebrations, it is customary for all members of the family to wear hanbok, the colourful traditional costume. These clothes are simple dresses for women or vests and loose-fitting trousers for men. Hanbok outfits are often coloured with bright reds, pinks, or oranges.
Seollal is known for its feast of traditional Korean food. One of the main dishes during this holiday is tteokguk, a soup made of beef, vegetables, egg, and rice cakes. According to Korean traditions, tteokguk symbolises starting out the year with a clean mind and body. Other classic foods eaten on the New Year’s Day include mandu, a type of dumpling. Making mandu is a multi-day family activity, involving preparing its ingredients and wrapping the dumplings. Another commonly enjoyed dish during seollal is three-color namul, a popular vegetable dish. It is made up of three vegetables that are coloured green, white, and brown. Popular choices include spinach, fern shoots, and balloon flower roots.
After finishing a meal, it is customary for the entire family to pay respect to their ancestors with a brief prayer. The younger generations of the family pay respect to their elders by performing sebae, a deep bow. Once sebae is completed, the elders offer their blessings and wishes for a prosperous year. Children often receive sebaetdon, or New Year’s money, as a gift. For the remainder of the day, family members spend quality time and share stories with one another.
Seollal is more than just a holiday to mark the beginning of a new year. It is a special occasion for Korean people. Not only is it a time for paying respect to ancestors, but it is also an opportunity to spend time with family members, eat traditional foods, exchange gifts, listen to stories and have fun.

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