[Hallyupedia] Sebae

by Ra Hwak Jin / Kim Sun Min

[ENG] Greetings to the elders for the New Year.

 

▲ This photo, provided by Gwangju Buk-gu Office, shows children taking Sebae. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Sebae traditionally refers to the greetings to relatives and elders at the end of the year or at the beginning of the Lunar New Year. These days, taking a bow to the elders on the New Year on solar calendar is also called Sebae. Sebae on Lunar New Year’s Day(Korean New Year) is called “New Sebae," while Sebae on New Year’s Eve of the lunar year is classified as “Old Sebae.”

Among them, Sebae on the New Year's Day morning is most basic.

On New Year's Day, both men and women of all ages change into new clothes(seolbim) early in the morning, and take their seats after holding ancestral rites. Then, they bow to their grandparents first, followed by their brothers and sisters, and younger people would take the first bow of the New Year to the elders.

 

▲ This photo, provided by Lotte World, shows children from multicultural families taking Sebae. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

In general, men bow with their hands folded with the left hands up, put their knees and hands on the floor, and bend their bodies so that the head touches their hands. Women wear Hanbok skirt, the Korean traditional clothes, so they sit on the floor without putting their hands and head on the floor, but rather put their hands on the shoulder level, put the right hands up, and bend their heads about 45 degrees or hold the skirt with both hands. In some cases, women bow like men by touching the floor and bending their bodies completely.

Moreover, after having a breakfast with New Year’s food, which was prepared for ancestral rites, they visit their relatives and neighboring adults to take Sebae. They also visit teachers or seniors in the company and give Sebae. If the elder lives far away, it is not against etiquette if they visit by the 15th day of the New Year and take Sebae, according to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture of the Academy of Korean Studies.
 

▲ This file photo shows Hong Ja taking Sebae. (Yonhap)

When bowing to the elders, they often bow and say New Year's greetings, such as "Happy New Year," but since taking a bow is a greeting itself, it is traditional manners to wait for the words of the elders without saying anything, according to the National Institute of Korean Language.

Those who received Sebae deliver words of blessing, such as "I hope all your wishes come true in the New Year.

It is common to give some money to children who come to take Sebae. People usually share refreshments after Sebae as well.

 

 

▲ This file photo shows K-pop boy group Super Junior taking Sebae in "2011 MBC Gayo Daejejeon." (Yonhap)

 

 

◇ Taking Sebae to fans through videos·photos…foreign member involves in controversy regarding absence in Sebae

At this time of year, it is common to see entertainers on the show taking Sebae to the viewers. K-pop groups also take Sebae to their fans at the concert or through the videos and photos around the time of New Year.
 

▲ This photo, a captured image from the Chinese news agency website, shows EVERGLOW's Yiren not taking Sebae at an autograph event. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

However, as foreign members have recently increased in K-pop idol groups, there was a controversy over taking Sebae, the traditional Korean greeting style, to the fans.

Earlier this year, controversy arose on the Internet over the Chinese member Yiren taking Chinese-style greeting while other members took Sebae at an autograph event for the New Year.

In response, when the Chinese news agency Global Times defended Yiren, saying, “Koreans are overly sensitive to Chinese culture,” the professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University refuted through the social media, “You do not have rights to give such advice. China should first learn how to respect other countries’ culture in order for themselves to be respected."

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