| Season | Winter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | 18 February (solar calendar) | ||||
| Introduction | "Usu" (雨水), which literally means "rainwater," is one of the 24 seasonal sub-divisions, or solar terms, of the lunar calendar. It falls between "Ipchun," the day spring starts, and "Gyeongchip," or "the day when the startled frog wakes up from hibernation." | ||||
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"Usu" (雨水), one of the 24 solar terms, means "snow melts to become rain." It usually falls on February 19 or 20 on the solar calendar. This is when the sun is at longitude 330°, which means the cold winter has passed and spring has arrived. As in such Korean sayings as, "Like ice after Usu," and "Around Usu and Gyeongchip, the Daedong River thaws," once past "Usu" and "Gyeongchip" the cold weather becomes warmer with a hint of spring. It is around this time that plants and trees begin to sprout.
Such a seasonal landscape is sung about in a Seodo Minyo folk song titled "Susimga" (愁心歌): "In Usu and Gyeongchip, the Daedong River thaws / Upon a word of my beloved, my heart thaws too." The song describes the season: now that spring has arrived at the Daedong River in the north, the entire country welcomes the arrival of spring. |
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