Why Koreans Say “Happy New Year” for Almost Two Months
안녕하세요! Hyunwoo here.
New Year’s greetings matter almost everywhere in the world. Korean culture is no exception.
But if you spend some time in Korea, you might notice something interesting: sometimes, it can feel like New Year’s greetings are a bit… overdone.
One simple reason: we do it twice.
Once around January 1st, and once again around Lunar New Year, called 설날 [seollal].
What’s interesting is that these two New Years feel very different.
On January 1st (1월 1일 or 새해 첫날 in Korean), there isn’t much pressure to gather in person. Most greetings happen through text messages, KakaoTalk, or Instagram DMs.
Quick messages. Polite emojis. Short “Happy New Year!” notes sent to many people at once.
설날 [seollal], however, still feels more traditional.
Because it’s a major holiday, many Koreans travel to their hometowns or visit their parents’ homes. It’s a time when people actually go somewhere to greet someone.
(Because Lunar New Year follows the lunar calendar, its date changes every year — which is why it usually falls in late January or early February. I’ll talk more about 설날 culture itself in another post.)
From December 31st to early February, your phone keeps buzzing with New Year messages. Short KakaoTalk texts. Familiar emojis. Occasional GIF cards that feel… a little too familiar and “reused” even. Sometimes it really feels like the greeting season never ends.
Of course, there is a good side to this.
These greetings give us a reason to reach out to people we normally wouldn’t contact. Old classmates. Former coworkers. Distant acquaintances. And once in a while, those simple messages turn into something more, like “Let’s grab a meal sometime.” or “Let’s see each other more often this year.”
Most of those promises quietly disappear, but a small percentage doesn’t. And sometimes, that’s enough to bring people genuinely closer again.
Still, in reality,
many New Year’s greetings remain just that: polite, quick, and a little empty. So by the time February arrives, some people feel slightly relieved that the greeting season is finally over.
Which brings me to a question.
Do you prefer to start the New Year properly, just once, on January 1st?
Or do you think it’s actually nice to ease into the New Year slowly, over January and February, with two chances to reset and reconnect?
I’m curious how you see it! And Happy New Year! 새해 복 많이 받으세요.
