Seollal - Korean New Year

One of the reasons that made us very excited to be in South Korea during February is Seo(u)llal. No, not the country’s capital city, but the celebration of Korean Lunar New Year.

Seollal is the official name that marks the beginning of the Lunar calendar, which is traditionally followed by East Asian countries, including South Korea itself. Interestingly, Seollal is one of the biggest Korean national Holidays and it's being celebrated for 3 whole days!

The BB team couldn’t be happier be a part of this holiday, join its celebration, feel the atmosphere and create new experience. As a brand  focused on organising various Events, BB is always ready to join celebrations and local traditions.

                               Getting ready for Seollal in Olympic style     

 Celebration was not lacking in Olympic villages. Everything was in a sign of Korean tradition and New Year    

There are lots of traditional customs performed during this holiday. It's a period when people travel to spend time with their families and feast on delicious food. Unlike Western customs, where New Year is celebrated mostly with friends, for Koreans Seollal is a family holiday. Even more than Christmas. If you find yourself somewhere in Korea during that time, you will encounter a mad rush in all the public transports and in traffic.

                                    Seollal is all about the family

Family is gathering together, dressed in special Seollal clothes called Seolbim, to enjoy traditional food rituals. They prepare tteokguk as a main dish, a traditional soup made with sliced rice cakes, eggs, beef and vegetables.

         BB team has also celebrated New Year in a proper, Korean way

               Tteokguk - a traditional main dish eaten during Seollal

Exchanging gifts is very important gesture during the celebration of this holiday. Korea has an old custom of giving friends a Bokjumeoni, a traditional lucky bag, containing a a brass coin Yeopjeon, as a gift to celebrate an upcoming lunar new year and wish one health and good luck throughout the year. We were lucky enough to receive our own Seollal gift from the most welcoming hosts here in Pheongchang.

                  We have received a brass coin for a good luck in 2018

 Perfect idea for the Seollal gift - basket of hangwa, traditional, sweet, rice cookies

Another part of enjoying this holiday is playing traditional folk games, such as kite-flying, which is our favourite! We think we found idea for a new BIG BERRY activity!

                        Traditional folk games are played during Seollal

                                Seollal is all about Korean tradition

Every Lunar year is represented by one of the 12 zodiac signs, which take the form of twelve guardian animal deities collectively known as Sibijisin. These signs change with every year, rotating over a 12-year cycle. The Year of the Rooster just ended and Koreans stepped into 2018, in the sign of the Dog.

This Year Seollal is celebrated from 15th to 17th of February and our BIG BERRY delegation here in Korea is very happy to be a part of it. Our BB team, as well as Slovenian Olympic team might be far away from their families, but the hospitality of Korean people is, undoubtedly, making us feel like home. We will celebrating Seollal in the cozyness of Slovenia house, which has felt like home to us, ever since we arrived in Pyeongchang. Hospitality of Korean people and warm atmosphere in Slovenia house made us feel like home

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