1. Climate & Natural Phenomena
Dahan (Major Cold) is the 24th and final solar term of the traditional Chinese calendar, occurring around January 20 to 21. As the ultimate climax of winter, Major Cold brings freezing temperatures, heavy blizzards, and frozen ground. Yet, precisely because winter has reached its extreme limit, the warmth of spring is already gestating just beneath the surface.
Ancient Chinese phenology divided Major Cold into three distinctive micro-seasons (Penthads / 三候):
鸡乳 Domestic chickens begin hatching their early clutches in anticipation of spring warmth.
征鸟厉疾 Hawks and fierce predatory birds hunt swiftly and fiercely through cold high-altitude winds.
水泽腹坚 Ice across lakes and deep rivers reaches its thickest, strongest, and most solid state.
2. Lifestyle, Diet & Customs
Because Major Cold frequently overlaps with the Lunar New Year (Spring Festival), customs are rich with joyful preparations, ancestral gratitude, and community bonding.
🍵 Diet & Health
Traditional health wisdom emphasizes consolidating health reserves and eating nourishing stews:
- Braising Eight-Treasure Congee (喝八宝粥): A traditional porridge made from glutinous rice, red beans, lotus seeds, peanuts, and dates, consumed on the Laba Festival right around Major Cold to warm the stomach.
- Stewed Chicken Soup: Eaten to nourish physical strength and build immunity against final winter chills.
- Ginger and Brown Sugar Tea: Consumed to drive out cold dampness and keep internal circulation active.
🏮 Folk Traditions
In coastal Guangdong and regions like Shaoxing, people celebrate “Eating Glutinous Rice and Tail-End Festival” (吃年糕与尾牙祭). Business owners host appreciation banquets for their employees to thank them for their year-long hard work, while families prepare sticky rice cakes (Niangao) representing higher prosperity in the upcoming year.
📜 Classic Poetry
Poets watched the fading winter snow with joyful hearts, knowing that spring is already on its way:
《村居苦寒》 — 王禹偁 (Song Dynasty)
岁暮阴阳催短景，天穷霜雪霁寒宵。
八荒共睹新年始，柏酒迎春乐未央。
(The year’s end drives the fleeting winter daylight shorter; frost and snow clear under a biting cold night. The whole world witnesses the dawn of a new year, while cypress wine welcomes spring with endless joy.)
3. Agricultural Wisdom
In rural farming communities, an old proverb states: “Major Cold wet with rain or snow, grain bins will overflow next year (大寒天洒雨，明年月日丰).
This concludes the 24-season annual cycle. Farmers check grain storage, celebrate festival preparations, and immediately begin looking ahead to the return of Lichun (Start of Spring) to restart the agricultural year.