Which country calls its Lunar New Year holiday Seollal?

South Korea calls its Lunar New Year holiday Seollal. Seollal is the Korean traditional festival marking the first day of the Korean lunisolar calendar, and it is observed in both South Korea and North Korea, as well as by Korean communities abroad.

The holiday usually falls in January or February, on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Families commonly travel to reunite, honor ancestors, and exchange New Year greetings. A well-known custom is sebae, a formal bow performed by younger people to their elders, who often give them money in return.

Food is central to the celebration. Many Koreans eat tteokguk, a soup made with sliced rice cakes; traditionally, eating it symbolized growing a year older. That age association helps explain the name Seollal, although South Korea changed its official age-counting system in 2023.

Seollal is sometimes casually grouped with Chinese New Year because the holidays use related lunisolar calendars and often occur on the same date. It is nevertheless a distinct Korean holiday with its own rituals, foods, games such as yut nori, and family traditions.