What's 'sebae' at Lunar New Year; exploring how tradition changes over time

Seollal, one of Korea's two biggest holidays alongside Chuseok, is a time when families come together to enjoy traditional Korean food and spend quality time with one another.

And during Seollal, there's a tradition called "sebae," where people bow to their elders as a sign of respect and receive blessings, along with something that might just bring a little extra warmth to your wallet in return.

Our Park Kun-woo walks us through what "sebae" is.

Want to start the Lunar New Year with good fortune?

One of the simplest ways to do that might be through a bow of fortune -known as "sebae" in South Korea.

During Seollal, the Lunar New Year holiday, one of the biggest holidays here, people perform Sebae to show respect to their elders.

"Wearing the traditional Korean attire, hanbok, you stand up and place your left hand above the right if you are a male, and the right above the left if you're a female. Then, you kneel and bow. This is how you do it."

"Let's do it together. Happy New Year!"

"I hope you all grow up to be strong, healthy, and wonderful people."

Traditionally, after receiving an elder's New Year's blessing, younger adults would be served food and alcohol, while children would receive New Year's money, or "saebaetdon."

But some experts say that the sebae traditions have slightly changed over time.

"Sebae is simplifying in the fast-paced world and along with the convenience of technology, it's sometimes done virtually. But the importance of empathy and communication through sebae should remain. Emotions must be expressed to be understood. Maintaining the warmth of sebae and continuing this tradition is essential for fostering meaningful connections."

Another change in the tradition is seen in the hanbok worn during sebae.

"Until a few decades ago, people would wear hanbok with great formality. But with changing tastes, especially among the younger generations, it has become more simplified and people wear it less frequently than before."

But he also said that it's still great to see more foreigners wearing hanbok, along with its growing popularity.

"Hanbok is very beautiful and there are a lot of details. We watch a lot of K-dramas and we're very interested in K-pop, so we got exposed to knowing the hanbok."

The hanbok designer also shared his hope that, as foreigners like wearing hanbok, more Koreans will too, and that the design can continue to maintain the essence of tradition, rather than becoming disconnected from Korean culture.

Park Kun-woo, Arirang News.