The day of Daeseol (대설, 大雪), literally "Big Snow," falls on Wednesday, Dec. 7, this year. It marks the beginning of the 21st of the year's 24 solar terms. It follows Soseol (소설, 小雪), literally "First Snow," which was on Nov. 22, and precedes Dongji (동지, 冬至), Dec. 21, which is the winter solstice.
The day of Daeseol is traditionally supposed to be the time of year when the season’s largest snowfall falls across the Korean Peninsula. Although this may have been the case in and around regions in northern China, where the traditional East Asian calendar system originated, the amount of snow is not necessarily greatest at this time of year on the Korean Peninsula.
Occurring sometime in the 11th lunar month, Daeseol usually falls on Dec. 7 or 8 on the Gregorian calendar, and corresponds to the time of year when the sun is at an ecliptic longitude of 255 degrees.
The 11th lunar month, also the time of the winter solstice, marks the transition point toward mid-winter and is the beginning of the off-season in farming communities.
With their granaries filled with the fruits of their hard work, households don't need to worry about a lack of food and can afford to attend to other business, such as preparing for the Lunar New Year's Day, or Seollal (설날), which falls on Jan. 28, 2017.
In popular belief, a large snow storm on Daeseol is a harbinger of a warm winter. However, generally, across the Korean Peninsula it seldom snows on this date, and if it does the amount is insignificant.
This article is made possible through the cooperation of the National Folk Museum of Korea.
By Gregory C. Eaves
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: National Folk Museum of Korea
gceaves@korea.kr
The day of Daeseol is traditionally supposed to be the time of year when the season’s largest snowfall falls across the Korean Peninsula. Although this may have been the case in and around regions in northern China, where the traditional East Asian calendar system originated, the amount of snow is not necessarily greatest at this time of year on the Korean Peninsula.
The day of Daeseol, literally "Big Snow," falls on Wednesday, Dec. 7, this year, and it traditionally marks the time of year when a large snowfall would occur.
Occurring sometime in the 11th lunar month, Daeseol usually falls on Dec. 7 or 8 on the Gregorian calendar, and corresponds to the time of year when the sun is at an ecliptic longitude of 255 degrees.
The 11th lunar month, also the time of the winter solstice, marks the transition point toward mid-winter and is the beginning of the off-season in farming communities.
With their granaries filled with the fruits of their hard work, households don't need to worry about a lack of food and can afford to attend to other business, such as preparing for the Lunar New Year's Day, or Seollal (설날), which falls on Jan. 28, 2017.
In popular belief, a large snow storm on Daeseol is a harbinger of a warm winter. However, generally, across the Korean Peninsula it seldom snows on this date, and if it does the amount is insignificant.
This article is made possible through the cooperation of the National Folk Museum of Korea.
By Gregory C. Eaves
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: National Folk Museum of Korea
gceaves@korea.kr
