Jan 22, 2023
Lunar New Year 2023 (South Korea)
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates Lunar New Year, or Seollal (설날) in Korean. Each year, South Koreans enjoy this important holiday with family gatherings, traditional feasts and festive games.
세배 (sebae) is a principal Korean tradition where young people kneel on the ground and bow their heads to pay respect to older people and wish them a happy new year. Afterwards, older people often reward the youth with money inside envelopes wishing good luck. Families then feast on traditional food like tteokguk (떡국), a creamy rice cake soup, and sweet fritters called jeon (전).
During new year festivities, Korean families play games like yunnori (윷놀이) where two teams attempt to advance their pieces around a game board. Teams alternate tossing sticks, which are curved on one slide and flat on the other, to determine how far they can move along the board.
This year marks the Year of the Rabbit, which is associated with peace and prosperity. The Doodle artwork is crafted from paper-cutting to honor the long-time Lunar New Year tradition. Between paying respects and playing games, Seollal (설날) is a fun celebration for all.
Happy Lunar New Year, South Korea!
Check out the behind-the-scenes process for
today’s Doodle artwork by Doodler, Celine You
Early sketch of Doodle
Paper cut out of Doodle
Where this Doodle appeared
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