One of the most well known practices in the current day is receiving money from their elders after performing a formal bow, a tradition likely adopted from Confucian customs.

[5] Seollal generally occurs in January or February on the second new moon after the winter solstice, unless there is an intercalary eleventh or twelfth month in the lead-up to the New Year.

[8] The earliest attestations of the festivals and customs surrounding Seollal are found in the Dongyi section of Volume 30 of the Book of Wei (魏書 東夷傳), of the contemporary Chinese historical work called the Records of the Three Kingdoms (三國志).

[2] Worshipping events with the celebration of singing and dancing was recorded in Buyeo during what was the 12th month (殷正月) of the lunisolar calendar at that time.

[2][10][11][12] The oldest surviving Korean records of Seollal can be found in the Samguk yusa (三國遺事), compiled in the 13th century.

During the rule of Bicheo (also called Soji), 21st ruler of Silla, in 488 AD a number of unfortunate events surrounding an affair between a high ranking person responsible for shrines (宮主) and a noble, that coincided with a specific lineup of Zodiac signs led to the day also being nicknamed Daldo (怛忉).

Korea's last de jure emperor, Sunjong, under intense pressure by the Japanese, had no choice to enact the ban despite reluctance by himself and the Korean people.

Factors include respecting cultural traditions was raised, in addition to removing remnants of Japanese colonial rule and the South Korean dictatorship period especially under Syngman Rhee and Park Chung Hee.

[5] The three-day holiday is used by many to return to their hometowns to visit their parents and other relatives, where they perform an ancestral ritual called charye.

The government has started taking certain measures to help stabilize and support ordinary people's livelihood for the New Year holiday period, raising the supply of agricultural, fishery, and livestock products.

Dressed in traditional clothing, people wish their elders (grandparents, parents and aunts and uncles) a happy new year by performing a deep traditional bow (rites with more than one bow involved are usually for the deceased) and saying the words 'saehae bok mani badeuseyo' (새해 복 많이 받으세요, 'Please receive a lot of good fortune for the New Year.')

The main dish eaten on New Year's Day in South Korea is tteokguk (떡국; IPA: [t͈ʌk̚.k͈uk̚]), a traditional soup consisting of rice cakes (tteok) most commonly served in a beef based broth and typically garnished with thinly sliced egg, green onion, and meat.

There are many other variations featuring soy sauce in the soup base, as well as the addition of Korean dumplings known as mandu (만두).

The tteok is made by steaming glutinous rice flour and shaping the dough into long ropes that signify "an expansion of good fortune in the new year.

"[17] The rice cake ropes are then sliced into thin, oval shapes thought to resemble yeopjeon (엽전), a traditional Korean currency.

Its origins can be traced back to the 19th century from the mention of tteokguk in the "Dongguk Sesigi", a book on traditional Korean customs.

"[18] Tteokguk carries heavy symbolic meaning as a Seollal dish representing good fortune, new beginnings, and the rich holiday traditions of Korea.

Out of the many variations, shredded beef (yukjeon; 육전), oysters (guljeon; 굴전), kimchi (kimchijeon; 김치전), and green onion (pajeon; 파전) are the most popular fillings for the crispy pancakes.

[19] The jeon is often accompanied with a spicy, soy sauce and vinegar mixture flavored with Korean chili powder called gochugaru to enhance its taste.

[20] Traditionally, jeon is prepared for holidays and festive occasions like Lunar New Years, though they are presently regarded as a staple Korean side dish or appetizer in everyday meals.

Men and boys traditionally would also fly rectangle kites called Yeon (연, see yeonnalligi), and also play jegichagi, a game in which a light object is wrapped in paper or cloth, and then kicked in a footbag-like manner.