Beginning of Winter is the nineteenth of the twenty-four solar terms and the beginning of winter. The bucket handle points to the northwest, and the sun's ecliptic longitude reaches 225°, which intersects between November 7 and 8 of the Gregorian calendar every year. Li means the beginning of construction; winter means the end and the collection of all things. The beginning of winter means that vitality begins to stagnate and everything enters a state of rest and storage. Its climate also transitions from less rainy and dry in autumn to rainy and cold winter.
Beginning of Winter (Li dong)
— Nov 7-8
Custom activities: mending winter and celebrating winter
Custom food: grassroots soup, mutton soup, dumplings, etc
Farming activities: Manage fertilizer and water, take anti-freeze measures
Health preservation: nourish yin and subdue yang, eat less raw and cold food
water begins to freeze; ground begins to freeze; pheasants entering the flood become mirages
What to drink: Wuyi rock tea
Since winter began, the temperature has dropped, so it is advisable to nourish yin and subdue yang and eat less raw and cold food. Wuyi rock tea has a floral fragrance and moderate fermentation, giving people a comfortable warmth. Moreover, the rich aromatic substances in rock tea can make people happy, and caffeine and other contained substances can improve people's eyesight and thinking. It also contains trace elements such as minerals necessary for the human body.
Suitable drink: Dianhong
During the light snow season, the warm Dianhong is suitable. It has a strong nectar aroma and a sweet and mellow taste, making it very suitable for winter drinks. It can dispel cold, warm the stomach, warm the body and nourish the kidneys; and it is rich in theaflavins, which have antiviral, antioxidant, antibacterial and other functions.
Minor Snow is the 20th solar term among the twenty-four solar terms and the second solar term in winter. It occurs every year on November 22 or 23 of the Gregorian calendar, when the sun reaches 240° of the ecliptic longitude. Light snow is a solar term that reflects precipitation and temperature. It is a solar term with a high frequency of cold waves and strong cold air activities. The arrival of the light snow solar term means that the weather will become colder, and the precipitation will increase.
Light snow is a climate concept, and climate elements include precipitation, temperature, light, etc. The name "light snow" comes from the fact that "snow" is the product of cold weather. The climate during this solar term is not too cold, and the precipitation is not heavy. Therefore, "light snow" is used to describe the climate characteristics of this solar term. The "light snow" solar term is a solar term that reflects the changing trend of temperature and precipitation. It does not mean there is a small amount of snow in this solar term. The "light snow" solar term is not necessarily related to the "light snow" in the weather.
Minor Snow (Xiao xue)
— Nov 22-23
Climate characteristics: cold air moves southward, and the temperature drops
Phenological phenomenon: in the first period, the rainbow disappears; in the second period, the weather rises, and the ground atmosphere decreases; in the third period, it becomes closed, and winter begins
Farming activities: storage of vegetables, sideline activities
Traditional customs: Pickling bacon and eating glutinous rice cakes
Daily health care: reasonable diet, warming and nourishing the kidneys
Best drink: Taiwan frozen top oolong
Heavy snowfall and heavy snowfall so far mean that severe winter has arrived. A cup of warm and comfortable Taiwanese frozen oolong, with just the right roasted flavor and slightly honeyed frankincense. Moreover, there are less vegetables and more meat in winter. Oolong tea contains polyphenols, which can reduce fat and relieve fat, making it a suitable tea to drink in winter.
Major Snow (Da xue)
— Dec 6-8
Climatic characteristics: Temperature drops significantly, and precipitation increases
Phenological phenomena: Heilongs stop singing; tigers begin to cross; litchi grow out
Farming activities: cultivating vigorous seedlings and keeping warm
Traditional customs: watching the river sealing, pickling "salty goods", and eating red date cakes
Daily health: Keep warm from cold
Heavy snow is the 21st solar term among the twenty-four solar terms and the third solar term in winter. Dou Zhiren, the sun reaches 255 degrees of ecliptic longitude, and the intersection time is December 6-8 of the Gregorian calendar every year. The Snow solar term begins the Zi month in the Ganzhi calendar, marking the official start of the midwinter season. Heavy snow is a solar term that reflects climate characteristics. The characteristics of heavy snow solar term are a significant drop in temperature and an increase in precipitation.
Recommended drink: Pu’er ripe tea
The winter solstice begins the coldest day of the year, and it is best to warm up. The tea of Shupu is mild in nature and has little irritation to the stomach. It can lower fat, lower blood pressure, and nourish the stomach. It is more suitable for middle-aged and elderly people and an excellent seasonal product.
The winter solstice, the Southern Solstice, Winter Festival, Yasui, etc., has both natural and humanistic connotations. It is not only an important solar term among the 24 solar terms, but also a traditional ancestor worship festival among Chinese people. The winter solstice is one of the four seasons and eight festivals and is regarded as a major festival in winter. In ancient times, there was a saying among the people that "the winter solstice is as big as the new year." Winter Solstice customs vary in content or details depending on the region. In southern China, there is a custom of worshiping ancestors and feasting during the Winter Solstice. In northern China, there is a custom of eating dumplings on the winter solstice yearly.
The winter solstice is the 22nd solar term of the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms" It is douzhizi, and the sun's longitude reaches 270°. It is celebrated every year from December 21st to 23rd in the Gregorian calendar. The winter solstice is the extreme southward direction of the sun's direct point. On the winter solstice, the sun's rays shine directly on the Tropic of Capricorn. The sun's rays are most tilted toward the northern hemisphere, and the sun's altitude angle is the smallest. It is the day with the shortest and longest nights in the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice is the turning point when the sun's direct point returns north. After this day, it will "turn back." The sun's direct point will begin to move northward from the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26'S), and the daylight hours in the northern hemisphere (China is located in the northern hemisphere) will increase daily.
Winter Solstice (Dong Zhi)
— Dec 21-23
Climate characteristics: freezing cold
Phenological phenomena: earthworms form knots in the first period; elk horns dissolve in the second period; water springs move in the third period
Agricultural activities: construction of water conservancy projects
Traditional customs: Eating dumplings
Daily life and health: add clothes in time and exercise appropriately
Recommended Drink: Guangxi Liubao Tea
The ancients believed that cold air accumulates for a long time and becomes cold, but the degree of coldness is not extreme, so it is called Xiaohan. At this time, it is appropriate to drink Laoliubao tea. After deep fermentation, Liubao tea has a bright red and mellow taste. It can be drunk after a full meal to aid digestion or on an empty stomach to clear the stomach. After fermentation, polyphenols are oxidized, and irritating substances are reduced, which can gently dispel cold and nourish the body.
Minor Cold (Xiao Han)
— Jan 5-7
Climate characteristics: strong wind, rain and snow, lowest temperature
Phenological phenomena: In Yanbei Township, magpies begin to nest and pheasants begin to fly.
Farming activities: protection from cold and frost, accumulating manure for fertilization, building water conservancy projects
Traditional customs: Eating vegetables, eating glutinous rice
Daily health: Eat more warm foods
Minor Cold is the 23rd solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, the fifth solar term in winter, the end of the Zi month and the beginning of the Chou month. Douzhigui; the sun's yellow longitude is 285°; it is celebrated every year on January 5-7 of the Gregorian calendar. Cold air accumulates for a long time and becomes cold. Minor Cold means that the weather is cold but not yet extreme. Like the Great Cold, Minor Heat, Great Heat and End of Heat, it is a solar term that expresses changes in temperature. The characteristic of Minor Cold solar term is that it is cold, but it is not extremely cold.
During the Lesser Cold season, the sun's direct point is still in the southern hemisphere, and the heat in the northern hemisphere is still being lost. The heat absorbed during the day is still less than the heat released at night, so the temperature in the northern hemisphere continues to decrease. After the winter solstice, cold air frequently moves southward, and the temperature continues to drop. The temperature drops to the lowest during the minor cold and major cold of the year. Folk proverb: "When Xiaohan is at 239, the weather is cold and the ground is so cold that you tremble." This illustrates the coldness of Xiaohan solar term.
Suitable drink: Kangzhuan
In the cold season, vitality lurks, and everything is dormant. Kangzhuan is suitable for cooking and drinking. Compatriots from ethnic minorities often use it to make butter tea to go with food, not only because of its mellow taste. It can drive away dampness and keep out the cold, which also indicates that it helps digestion and absorption, as well as supplements vitamins and trace elements.
Major Cold is the last solar term among the twenty-four solar terms. Dou Zhichou, the sun's yellow longitude, reaches 300°. The intersection occurs around January 20 of the Gregorian calendar every year. Major Cold, like Minor Cold, indicates the degree of cold weather. Major Cold means that the weather is extremely cold.
The Great Cold is at the end of the year; winter turns to spring, and a new cycle begins again once the Great Cold passes. In some places in China, during the period from the Great Cold to the beginning of spring, there are many essential folk customs, such as cleaning up the old and bringing in the new, making cured meats, offering sacrifices to stoves and tail teeth, etc. The tail tooth sacrifice is also called "tooth making," "tooth making sacrifice," etc. There is a folk custom of the whole family sitting together to "eat tail teeth" after the tooth sacrifice. The popular year-end "annual party" is a legacy of the "Yu Ya Festival”
Major Cold (Da Han)
— Jan 20-21
Custom activities: tail tooth festival
Custom food: Laba porridge
Agricultural activities: Strengthen the protection of livestock and overwintering crops against cold and frost
Health preservation: Keep your mind deep inside to avoid impatience and anger
