Celebrate the Lunar New Year in Gyeonggi Province: AI-Enhanced Exploration of Korean Traditions

 Today marks the start of the Lunar New Year in Korea! Seollal, as it’s called in Korean, is one of the country’s most significant holidays,...

 Today marks the start of the Lunar New Year in Korea! Seollal, as it’s called in Korean, is one of the country’s most significant holidays, occurring on the first day of the lunar calendar. It’s a time when families come together to celebrate the new year and honor their ancestors.

This year, the Seollal holiday is even more special, as January 27 (Monday) has been designated as a temporary public holiday, giving everyone more time to enjoy the festivities!

To mark this occasion, we’ve used AI to recreate scenes of foreigners celebrating Seollal in Gyeonggi Province, offering a glimpse of the traditional Korean New Year experience. Along with AI images, we’ll introduce some great places in Gyeonggi Province, close to Seoul, where you can make your Seollal holiday even more memorable. 🙌🙌

✔ ️Traditional Attire and the Sebae Custom

On Seollal, many people traditionally wear hanbok, the Korean traditional clothing, which comes in various colors and designs. Wearing hanbok during holidays like Seollal helps preserve and pass down Korean culture.

A major tradition of Seollal is the sebae custom, where younger people bow to their elders to wish them good health and happiness in the new year. In return, elders often give sebaetdon (New Year's money) and offer their blessings.

During the Seollal holiday, families enjoy playing traditional Korean folk games. Some of the most popular include yutnori, a board game played with four wooden sticks; kite flying, where you make kites and send them into the sky; and ttakji, a game where players fold paper into small squares and try to flip their opponent’s piece.

If you’ve watched the popular Netflix series Squid Game season 2, you may have already seen ttakji featured!

Why not join in on these traditional folk games and experience the fun for yourself this Seollal?

✨ Must-Visit Places in Gyeonggi Province for Seollal ✨

📍 Korean Folk Village (90, Minsokchon-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do)

Located in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, the Korean Folk Village is a theme park where you can experience traditional Korean homes and culture. A visit to this cultural park during Seollal will give you a deeper connection to Korean traditions and make your holiday even more meaningful.

📍 Suwon Hwaseong Fortress (320-2, Yeonghwa-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do)

The Hwaseong Haenggung Palace, next to Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon City, is hosting a special “Hanok Playground” event to celebrate Seollal. 

From January 28 to 30, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, you can enjoy a range of traditional games such as yutnori, ttakji, ring toss, tuho (arrow throwing), jegichagi (kicking a traditional shuttlecock), and more. You can also try gonggi (a traditional Korean game), ttakji (paper flipping), alkkagi (a game involving marbles), soweonji (wishing paper), and many other free activities.

Happy New Year!

We wish you a Seollal filled with laughter and happiness! Make the most of this Seollal by enjoying the rich traditions and cultural experiences that Gyeonggi Province has to offer.

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Explore More! For more travel inspiration and information about Korea, visit the Gyeonggi Province Blog, where we share weekly articles on various topics for international visitors. 

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