What are major holiday traditions like in South Korea in 2026?

Seollal (Lunar New Year) brings ancestral rites called charye: families set a ritual food table, bow at home or a grave site, and share tteokguk (rice cake soup) in many regions. Younger members perform sebae, deep New Year bows to elders, and receive cash envelopes in return. Chuseok in autumn repeats the travel surge with songpyeon rice cakes and harvest-themed offerings.

Both holidays assume multiday movement to parents’ or grandparents’ cities. KTX and express bus tickets sell out weeks ahead; Korail opens special booking windows foreigners should watch even if they only travel locally. Highways clog on departure and return peaks; smart residents grocery-shop before eve closures.

Seoul’s central districts can feel oddly empty when offices close and families leave. Some foreign-run cafes stay open, but many Korean restaurants and hair salons post holiday notices on doors. Delivery apps thin out; convenience stores remain lifelines. Plan meals, cash, and pharmacy runs before eve afternoons.

Regional hometowns invert the pattern: markets buzz, guest rooms fill, and temple or folk villages host public demonstrations of traditional games such as yut nori or ssireum wrestling for visitors. Those demos are curated tourism, but they mirror what families play after rites at home.

Retirees weighing Korea should note holiday expectations: in-laws may assume annual attendance, and travel costs add up; read retiring in South Korea alongside family plans. Street festivals are separate but collide on travel grids; see festival culture.