Folk Customs in July

In Chongro, July is the period when the year’s hottest weather begins to be followed by the heaviest rainfall.

The month has two of 24 seasonal subdivisions of the year: Soso and Taeso .

Soso , which refers to the beginning of summer heat, falls between the 6th and 8th.

Taeso , which means the hottest day, falls on the 22nd or 23rd.

This year Soso and Taeso fall on July 7 and 23 respectively.

By Soso crops thrive faster than ever. Therefore, Chongroans removed weeds in paddy and non-paddy fields several times.

Before and after Taeso , they made primary efforts to stockpile manures because heaps of grasses cut and piled around this period could turn into an organic fertilizer good for the next year’s farming.

July has also Chobok and Jungbok , both of which belong to the hottest period of the year called Sambok .

July 15 and 25 this year are Chobok and Jungbok respectively. During the mid-summer period the Chongroan ancestors prepared various foods, with tangogi soup, samgyethang and red-bean porridge among others. Tangogi soup is famous as a nourishing food good for recovering appetite.