Spring 2014 Forecast for South Korea

Last week, when I walked down the mosque with my Korean Muslim friend; Sister Jannatul, I told her that the weather has become warmer these days. The spring is coming!

But she said...we are now in Spring! What? and when and why I didn't know that?

According to her, Korean follow Lunar calendar to determine the starting of each season. So the starting of spring is called as 'Ipchun' and for 2014, the date was on 4th of February. 

입춘 立春

onset of spring, one of the 24 seasonal divisions (around 3 or 4 February)Source: Naver dictionary
Read more here about 'Ipchun' at KNTO (in English)Read more here about 'Ipchun' at Korean Folk Encyclopedia (in Korean)
I rarely watch news and this morning after watching the yesterday's broadcast from Naver, the forecast for 2014 Spring's flower is here!! People normally relate spring in Korea with cherry blossoms but there are actually many type of flowers in Korea other than cherry blossom. ^^

Plum flowers start blooming at Jeju Island yesterday - 27th February 2014.

Picture by KBS News

Jindalle Azalea (진달래) forecast

Picture by SBS News

Kenari - Forsythia (개나리) forecast

Picture by SBS News

No signs of cherry blossoms forecast yet by the news but they predict that the flowers bloom much earlier than last year.