How do you think department stores and markets are during seollal? They are very crowded! People buy the food needed for the rites and the gifts for the family, friends, relatives,etc. Expensive food is usually given as a gift. Seollal needs a lot of preparation. Meat, fish, fruit, tteokgugk (rice cake soup) and many other wild vegetables are some of the goods mostly bought, the dishes have to be well presented and very fresh. Some representative dishes are japchae (noodles with meat and vegetables), galbijjim (rib stew), jeon (dishes with the form of pancakes), hangwa (traditional korean snack), maduguk, and many many other side dishes made with fresh vegetables.
As for transportation, traffic during this celebration is very heavy, a short few hours trip may take way more than expected. This is why many people decide to travel by train, but they have to book tickets very early.
On Seollal Day, families wake up very early. They dress with their new hanboks and set the ritual table with all the delicious dishes that the family has brought. Then they pay their respects to their ancestros, they bow to greet them as they return to enjoy the food that has been offered to them (as the belief says). They pray to them, and the farewell is next. After this first rite is finished, the delicious food is enjoyed by the family. Then the younger ones pay their respects to the elders by bowing and wishing them a very good year, and then the elders thank the bows and reward the children with sebaedon (money gift). People then play games, eat more food, talk, they enjoy the time with their families.
There are many games to play, all of them are enjoyable. Children fly kights, families together play yutnori, and many other games. You simply can not be bored at Seollal, there is much to do!
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