The phrase alludes to a interval of great hardship or extended challenges skilled throughout the state. It suggests a time marked by issue, maybe economically or socially, drawing a parallel to the bleakness and rigor related to the winter season. The quantity seven implies an prolonged length of those trials.
Understanding this idiom gives insights into the resilience and adaptableness of the inhabitants throughout occasions of adversity. Its historic context is rooted within the agrarian experiences of the area, the place agricultural failures or financial downturns may precipitate widespread struggling. The phrase emphasizes the endurance required to beat extended intervals of issue.