Solar Terms 101: Light up Winter With Fiery Decorations
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The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 节气 jiéqì solar terms based on seasonal changes and natural phenomenon. They play an important role in guiding agricultural activities, even to this day. But even city-dwellers like us can enjoy them. Each solar term has its own associated customs, traditions, and even recipes. In Solar Terms 101, we delve into what makes each one special...
Name of the solar term: 大寒 dàhán lit. “Major Cold”
Gregorian date: Jan 20 +/- a day (Jan 20, 2020)
What is dahan all about?
We have finally come to the last of the 24 solar terms, which arrives when the solar longitude reaches 300 degrees around Jan 20. If you have been following this column then you may recall that this happens to fall into the third or fourth “nine days” after the winter solstice, which is usually considered the coldest time of the year in southern China. For northern regions, on the other hand, the worst time has already passed. Some scholars believe that the reason this term is still called Major Cold is that the ancient Chinese thought that things would develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme so they gave the solar term before spring the coldest name. In terms of precipitation, although Beijing just had its first snow of 2021, xiaohan and dahan are usually the driest seasons of the year.
The micro seasons of dahan
From humans to birds, everyone's stocking up for the winter
Like the other solar terms, dahan has its own three micro seasons to describe the natural changes that usually take place during its 15-day period. The first is 鸡乳 jī rǔ, the only micro season named with two characters, and which suggests that hens will start to lay and hatch their eggs. The reason they only begin to do so in dahan is that the inadequate sunlight in winter means their bodies cannot generate enough Vitamin D, calcium, and other necessary nutrients for giving birth, and their ovaries require ultraviolet rays to become active. The second micro season is 征鸟厉疾 zhēng niǎo lì jí. 征鸟 zhēng niǎo is the name of a raptor that ancient Chinese believed could fly across the ocean, and the name of this season means that these feathered beasts will become even more agile and fierce in order to hunt enough prey to survive the rest of the harsh winter. The last micro season of dahan is 水泽腹坚 shuǐzé fù jiān. 水泽 shuǐzé refers to a lake, 腹 fù means "center," and 坚 jiān means "sturdy," which, combined, tells people that the ice on the surface of bodies of water is sturdy and thick enough to walk on, even right in the middle. No wonder old Beijingers say 冰上走 bīng shàng zǒu it is time to walk on the ice.
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Despite all the conveniences and technology of modern society, preparations for Spring Festival still cannot be completed overnight. In the old days, these busy yet joyful pre-festival chores could take as long as a month and required everyone in the family to participate. Despite the many differences in cultures and customs across all regions of China, there are a few traditions that are still practiced and can be commonly seen in the countryside at the time of year.
食糯 shí nuò Eating foods made from sticky rice, such as laba porridge and sticky rice cakes.
纵饮 zòng yǐn Drink as much as you like.Luckily, no specific hairstyle is required for your house cleaning day
除尘 chúchén Clean your house and paint your walls ahead of the new year. It is also an unwritten rule that you need to keep silent during the cleaning to create good fortune in the new year.
糊窗 hú chuāng Paste the window and put up the paper-cuts. The wind during winter can be quite ruthless and dahan is a good time to repair and reinforce ancient Chinese paper windows. To pray for a prosperous coming year, villagers will also put up paper-cutting artworks in the shape of auspicious symbols.
腊味 làwèi Cured food. It's time to cure some more meats and sausages; one ham is not gonna feed the whole family during the holiday.
赶婚 gǎn hūn Rush to arrange marriages. Ancient Chinese people believed that at the end of the year, all the gods will return to heaven to report their work while leaving the mundane world unruled. As a result, every day is a lucky day, so it is common for people to tie the knot around this time.Thanks to e-commerce and the pandemic, scenes like this are becoming increasingly rare
趁墟 chèn xū Go to the region bazzar. 墟 xū commonly refers to towns and villages in Cantonese regions, and 墟日 xū rì refers to a regular market that opens on certain dates. Markets in the last month of the year are usually the largest when people come from nearby villages to bargain for the goodies they need for the Spring Festival.
洗浴 xǐyù Take a shower. It is thought that maintaining good hygiene can free you from the bad luck that has been haunting you over the past year. You should also put cutting your hair on the to-do list if you don’t want to risk your uncle’s life by styling it during the first month of the new year.
贴年红 tiē nián hóng Putting up red decorations for the new year. In addition to paper-cutting pieces stuck on windows, other decorations can be used to show off your Spring Festival spirit, including Spring Festival scrolls, paintings, prints of the gate gods, and much, much more. All of these are generally referred to as 年红 nián hóng, or "Spring Festival red things."What to eat for dahan
Company-wide parties and talent shows are not uncommon during CNY. Yeesh
Did you know that your company's annual gathering derives from a tradition that prevails in Southern China? In the name of praying to the earth god, families and business owners would arrange rituals and feasts on every second and 16th day of the month, with the celebration on the 16th day of the last month usually being the biggest of the year. The signature dishes served at these events include 润饼 rùn bǐng and 刈包 yì (guā) bāo, which you can think of like the southern version of spring rolls and roujiamo, respectively. Due to the prominent place fishing holds in the economies of the southern Chinese provinces, seafood also appears in these dishes more frequently than other proteins.
Sticky rice is also a popular food for dahan. We discussed laba porridge in a recent blog, but for people who have a sweeter tooth, you can try steaming similar ingredients instead of boiling them and topping the resulting mixture with sugary syrup to make 八宝饭 bābǎofàn or eight treasures rice, a delicious winter day guilty pleasure.READ: Solar Terms 101: Squeeze Your Winter Fat With These Unconventional Holiday Sports
Images: Sohu, Photocnc, Huanbohainews, 518
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