In our country, March is the time when spring sets in.
Seasonal divisions in March are kyongchip and chunbun.
Kyongchip, which literally means the time when hibernating worms start to wriggle, awakened by the melting ice and the rain with thunder, falls around March 5 by the solar calendar.
Chunbun, which means the period in the middle of spring, falls around March 21 by the solar calendar. In this period, there is almost no difference in the length of the day and the night, and although it often blows hard, the weather gets mild and the ground thaws out.
Around kyongchip and chunbun, the Korean people used to mend the fences and spring-clean houses and surroundings to clear away the traces of winter before starting farming. In addition, they liked making delicious food with edible herbs coming out green and fresh in the fields to enjoy the flavor of spring.
The typical herbs are shepherd’s purse and wild garlic.
They also used to pick various kinds of medicinal herbs for storage and do peasants’ dancing and singing to add a zest to farming, hoping for a good harvest.
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