It seems that Koreans have a sentimental attachment to the first snow (첫눈 cheonnun) of the season.
I got my first inkling of this yesterday, when I met with my Korean language exchange partner. There had been talk about the possibility of snow flurries in the next few days, and my partner asked me if I had any plans for the first snow. I was a bit confused. What kind of plans?
Well, he said, many Koreans often make plans with their friends: when the first snow falls, let's meet at some particular place. I told him that my plan for the first snow was to wear a hat. I don't think he got the joke.
Last night around 9:00pm we were sitting in a Japanese-style bar/restaurant in Shinchon. It was on the third floor, with big picture windows. Suddenly big fat flakes of snow started falling outside, and a collective gasp went around the room.
It didn't snow much, but this morning there was a thin coating of frost and snow in some places, and a few of the cars were limned with a light layer. (By afternoon, when I took this picture, some pockets of snow remained in areas that had not received any direct sunlight.)
Our reading teacher came into class and said, "Did it really snow last night? The news this morning said it snowed." We confirmed that it had. "Oh, I didn't see it! I was reading in my room. I'm so sad." She went on a bit about how sad it was to have missed the snow. "There'll be more snow soon enough," I said. "Yes, but it's not the FIRST SNOW," she responded, despondent.
I just checked the dictionary, and cheonnun is in there as an entry.
Why does the first snow of the season have significance for Koreans? I don't know.
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