Korea celebrates the New Year twice every year-January 1 in the solar calendar and the lunar calendar. On January 1 of the solar calendar, Koreans welcomed the new year by saying hello to each other, and on January 1 of the lunar calendar, which is called Seollal in Korean, they eat Tteokguk (sliced rice cake soup) with their family to welcome the new year again. This year, the Seollal in Korea is February 12, 2022. The breakfast table on Seollal is more abundant than ever, because of the idea that a bountiful beginning brings a good harvest. How about Tteokguk on New Year’s Day morning?

#Welcoming the New Year with the Sound of the Bell
On December 31, New York of the United States, will hold Ball Drop, New York’s traditional event. At the one-minute countdown, the ball in the Times Square building falls 43 meters to the ground, and at the moment of announcing the new year, paper pollen is flown, and cheers burst out. The most famous New Year’s event in the UK is Hogmanay, a Scottish word meaning ‘Let’s celebrate the start of a new year’.   Meanwhile, during the Lunar New Year, China sets off colorful, splendid firecrackers to ward off ghosts that were staying at home in the old year, while countries such as Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar hold the Songkran Festival, where people sprinkle water on others. As such, New Year is a big celebration in most of the world. On the other hand, the new year in Korea is welcomed calmly. Before the new year, Koreans hand out New Year’s cards to family and friends, with texts or pictures to wish for a hopeful year. January 1 at 00:00. The bell rings at the Bosingak Pavilion. A bell in Jongno, Seoul, Bosingak has a 3-meter-high bell hanging, which is hit 33 times at 00:00 on January 1 every year. It is derived from the fact that the castle gate was opened by ringing the bell 33 times at 4am during the Joseon Dynasty. The bell that opens the door to dawn has been turned into a bell that heralds the start of the New Year.  

#Another New Year in Korea, Seollal
There is another new year in Korea. January 1 of the lunar calendar is ‘Seollal’. Countries that celebrate Lunar New Year include Korea, China, Taiwan, and Singapore. As one of the biggest holidays in Korea, Seollal is quite different from the first day of a new year as it is a day for the whole family to get together. On the morning of Seollal, people wear Seolbim (New Year’s dress) and hold a memorial service for ancestors wearing new clothes with a new mindset. After the service, the family celebrates the new year with the words ‘Happy New Year’ and do Sebae (New Year’s bows), and the senior persons in the family who receive Sebae give a blessing to younger family members and give them Sebaetdon (money for New Year’s bows). It came from returning with food for receiving Sebae.   Now, everyone sits around and eats Seollal Tteokguk (sliced rice cake soup). After the breakfast, the family enjoys traditional games outside, which include: Jegichagi, in which Jegi (toy) with coins wrapped in cloth and the ends cut into several parts is kicked; Yunnori, in which four yuts made by splitting two logs in half are thrown in the air to compete to win; and kite-flying, to blow away bad energy into the sky. Ttakjichigi, which appeared in the Net-flix original drama Squid Game, is a traditional game that cannot be missed on Seol-lal as well. It is a game to win by flipping Ttakji, thick paper folded in a square form. Family members deepen their ties on the morning of Seollal.

#Tteokguk to Wish for Disease-Free Longevity
Tteokguk is the traditional Korean dish eaten during the celebration of the Seollal. Why do Koreans eat Tteokguk on Seollal? One of its origins is that white rice cakes were eaten in clear water to purify the body and mind. Tteokguk has several meanings: it means to live a long time, like the long unsliced Garaetteok (rice cake stick) used in Tteokguk, and Tteokguk rice cakes have a shape of Yeopjeon, an old Korean coin, so it also holds people’s wish to increase their wealth like Yeopjeon. The main ingredient of Tteokguk is thinly sliced Garaetteok, which is white rice cake made by kneading and steaming non-glutinous rice flour. Korean mills cut long Garaetteok into bite sizes, and freshly-made Garaetteok has such an excellent chewy texture that people line up in front of the mill to try it. Tteokguk made of white rice cakes and added with the wish for longevity and wealth, goes well as the first dish on a new year. Depending on the region, people eat Tteong-mandutguk (sliced rice cake and dumpling soup) with Mandu in it, which looks similar in shape to a lucky bag, so Tteongmandutguk is also great as a Seollal meal. In particular, Tteokguk and Tteongmandutguk are Korean dishes well-recognized abroad. The U.S. Wall Street Journal has introduced Tteokguk as a dish enjoyed by Koreans on Seollal, and YouTube often shows videos of foreigners served with Tteokguk in the morning of Seollal. Korean Tteokguk is mainly exported to the United States, and cup-shaped cup Tteokguk is popular in Southeast Asia. Along with Tteokguk, Galbijjim (braised short ribs), Japchae (stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables), and seasoned Korean vegetables are also served on the table.  

*Tip. Tteokguk Ingredients

Dried Garae-tteok is sliced diagonally to make Tteokguk rice cakes. The diagonally-cut rice cakes resemble the shape of Yeopjeon. 

Put these rice cakes in the broth, boil them, and add the egg custard and seaweed powder to make Tteokguk.