Winter

Beginning of Winter

Nov 7–21

Start of Winter (Lidong) is the nineteenth solar term of the twenty‑four solar terms and the beginning of winter. The sun reaches the celestial longitude of 225°. Its name means “the vital qi retreats into storage, and all things are gathered in and stored away.” This article explains its climatic transitional characteristics (from autumn dryness to winter cold), the phenological phenomena of its three pentads (water begins to freeze, the earth begins to harden, pheasants enter the water and become giant clams), and the key farming points in the north and south (winter irrigation, winter plowing, and collecting manure). It also details its folk customs as one of the “Four Seasons and Eight Festivals,” including ancestor worship, feasting, welcoming winter, and the dietary culture of “nourishing winter” (taking tonics). It is a key solar term for storing and preserving (yang qi) to guard against the cold.