Doli’s day of waiting for his father who has not returned from the ferry amid a sudden gray chill and biting Sondol wind. We explore the origins of the 20th day of the 10th lunar month—Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day—and traditional winter preparations.
A Sudden, Biting First Chill
Just yesterday, the late autumn fields were bathed in remarkably warm sunlight. But as soon as morning broke on the twentieth day of the tenth lunar month, the sky abruptly turned an ashen gray, and a fierce wind whipped up, making the paper window lattices shiver. As recorded in the old text Dongguk Sesigi (Seasonal Customs of the Eastern Kingdom), this day has long been known across the country as the moment temperatures plummet and the first true cold snap arrives. People called this merciless day the “Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day” or “Sondol Day.”
His father, who had gone across the river early at dawn to help out at the marketplace ferry, was nowhere to be seen long past lunchtime. Doli stood on the stone step at the corner of the courtyard, rising onto his tiptoes again and again to peer down the distant riverside. The wind didn’t just slip beneath his collar; it stung his skin like needles.
Old Man Mandol’s Tale and the Bitter Wind
“Grandfather, the riverside wind is so fierce, why isn’t Father back yet? Could the boats be unable to cross?”
As Doli hurried over to ask, Old Man Mandol, who was tightly tying down the covers of the fermentation crocks in the yard, straightened his back and clicked his tongue. A frosty crust had already formed at the tips of the old man’s beard.
“Today is the twentieth day of the tenth lunar month, the Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day. Ancient people believed the biting wind blowing today was the vengeful spirit of Sondol coming back. Since the wind is this violent, they can’t force the boats out; they have to tie the prows down, which causes delays. If you recklessly push a boat across on a bitterly cold day like this, disaster is bound to follow.”
Doli looked down at the water jar left in the courtyard, where a thin, hard sheet of ice crackled over the surface. The thought of his father shivering in that river wind made his heart sink.
We Cannot Simply Stand By and Wait
“Then should we just wait here and do nothing?”
When Doli asked, stamping his feet, Old Man Mandol pointed to a stack of firewood piled in the corner of the yard.
“Since ancient times, people looked at how fierce this Sondol Day chill was to gauge the coming winter’s preparations. Seeing how bitter today’s cold is, this winter is going to be bone-chilling. When the cold is this severe, we need to sew thicker winter clothes and line the window papers more securely. If we just stand here stamping our feet and blaming the wind, we won’t even have a warm spot to offer your father when he gets back.”
At his grandfather’s firm yet tender words, Doli’s eyes widened. Rubbing his hands together and blowing warm breath onto them, Doli scurried off to the edge of the courtyard. Rather than sitting idly and worrying, finishing up the household preparations so his father could warm his frozen body upon return was the best thing he could do right now.
A Bustling Yard
Doli carried armfuls of dry firewood scattered across the outer yard over to the kitchen entrance. Frozen twigs scratched at his clothes, but he didn’t stop. In the kitchen, his mother was busy preparing for gimjang (kimchi-making for the winter), trimming greens and sorting salt brought out from the cellar. If she didn’t finish storing everything before the weather turned even colder and froze everything solid, they would spend the entire winter worrying.
“Doli, why aren’t you coming inside out of this cold wind?”
His mother asked anxiously, and Doli wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, answering bravely:
“I’ll carry all the firewood for the stove! That way, as soon as Father gets back, he can warm right up.”
Doli carefully stuffed rice straw into the gaps around the crock stand to keep the chilly wind from creeping in, and pulled thick cotton-padded winter garments from the depths of the main room wardrobe, neatly laying them out on the warm floor. His red, frost-bitten fingertips throbbed, but his heart swelled with determination.
Warmth Piercing Through the Fierce Wind
Finally, just as the red sun dipped below the western mountains and dusk settled thickly, it happened. A rattling sound outside the wicker gate, accompanied by a heavy clearing of the throat, reached his ears. As Doli flung the door open, his father stood there taking off his A-frame carrier, his fur hat frosted white.
“Father!”
Doli ran down past the stone steps, and his father waved away his frozen hands with a laugh.
“Ho ho, don’t come near. I’m covered in the wind, my clothes are like sheets of ice. The Sondol wind blew so fiercely that the waves turned completely white, and we had a hard time just securing the boats.”
Doli quickly grabbed his father’s cold hand and led him into the warmly heated room. He wrapped the thick padded garments they had set aside around him and carefully handed him a steaming bowl of thick soup freshly heated in the kitchen. As his father sipped the piping-hot broth and stroked his frozen beard with a deep sigh of relief, a warm, cozy laughter finally filled the house. Though the first chill of Sondol Day had been harsh and merciless, the household, thoroughly prepared for the coming winter, brimmed with a comfort deeper than ever before.
The 20th Day of the 10th Lunar Month: ‘Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day’, Herald of the First Chill
The 20th day of the 10th lunar month coincides roughly with the periods of Soseol (Minor Snow) and Daeseol (Major Snow) on the seasonal calendar, a time when temperatures drop sharply nationwide accompanied by strong winds and cold snaps. Colloquially known as ‘Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day’ or ‘Sondol Day,’ it has long been regarded as an important benchmark for gauging winter weather and making seasonal preparations. These traditions are recorded in historical texts such as the Dongguk Sesigi, as well as reports like the Korean Folk Customs Comprehensive Survey Report and Korean Seasonal Customs.
Origins of the Cold and Folk Transmission
Regarding the sudden drop in temperature and strong winds on this day, folklore attributes the phenomenon to the vengeful spirit of Sondol, who was wrongfully put to death. Depending on the region, the details of the legend vary; in the Gunwi region of North Gyeongsang Province, it is said that a stubborn boatman went out on the river despite the freezing weather and froze to death, leading locals to call the day the ‘Stubborn Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day.’
Regional Customs and Diverse Expressions
Methods of observing Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day and the names used for it vary across regions. People used the severity of the cold to determine whether winter clothing should be padded thickly or lightly, preparing accordingly. In Dalseong, North Gyeongsang Province, there was a custom of finishing gimjang before this day arrived. Meanwhile, in North Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang provinces, a warm day on this date was called ‘the day the official hat maker weeps,’ reflecting worries that official hats wouldn’t sell well. In Gangwon Province, referencing the inevitable cold that strikes on this day, it was called ‘the day that fellow died.’ In Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province, the proverb ‘If a tiger’s testicles freeze, they won’t thaw until Dongji’ expressed the persistence of the severe cold, while in Yangsan and Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province, it was believed that a cold day on this date foretold many misfortunes in the coming year.
Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day is a traditional seasonal custom recorded in texts such as the Dongguk Sesigi, preserving the significance of the first cold snap around the 20th day of the 10th lunar month and the preparations for winter.
The specific dialogue and daily actions of the characters in the story are creative fictions designed to aid understanding.
On the other hand, the name Boatman Freezing-to-Death Day (Sondol Day) on the 20th day of the 10th lunar month, the fierce first chill that arrives on this day, the folk traditions linking it to Sondol’s vengeful spirit, winter clothing preparations based on the degree of cold, the gimjang customs of Dalseong, North Gyeongsang Province, and the historical records in texts like Dongguk Sesigi along with regional names and proverbs, are all based on collected factual data.
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