Nongyo (Farmers’ Songs) are sung by farmers while working in wet rice paddies or dry fields to recover from their fatigue and enhance the efficiency of the work. They are also called Deullorae (field songs).
It is presumed that farmers’ songs started in this area during the mid-Joseon Period (1392 – 1910). There are different songs sung for different occasions in the area, Abureisuna (Song of Rice Planting), Doumso sori (Song of Finishing Rice Planting), Aebeolmaegi sori (Song of Weeding the First Rice Paddy) and Sangsadieo (Song of Weeding the Rice Paddy), Bangae sori and Eiyong sori (Songs of Finishing Rice Paddy Weeding), and Bonghei (Song of Finishing Work and Returning Home).
Farmers’ songs in this area feature slow tempos, long-stretched tunes, duet-like effects made by the lead and the following in singing, graciousness in simplicity and plainness, and a unique local atmosphere.