Winter
Major Snow
Dec 7–21
Major Snow (Daxue) is the twenty-first solar term of the twenty-four solar terms, and the third solar term of winter. The sun reaches the celestial longitude of 255°, officially marking the formal beginning of midwinter. This article explains its climatic characteristics (a marked drop in temperature, increased precipitation, and shortened daylight hours), the differences in snowfall between the north and south, its agricultural significance (snow cover insulates and protects winter wheat seedlings, as the saying goes, "A timely snow promises a good harvest"), and traditional folk customs such as walking in the snow to seek plum blossoms, brewing tea with melted snow, storing ice during Major Snow, and curing meat. It is a solar term when the cold deepens day by day and winter is in full swing.
Major Snow (Daxue), also known as the “Major Snow solar term,” is the twenty-first of the twenty-four solar terms and the third solar term of winter. It occurs when the Big Dipper points to the celestial stem ren and the sun reaches the ecliptic longitude of 255°, with the transition date falling annually between December 6 and 8 in the Gregorian calendar. The Major Snow solar term marks the beginning of the zi month in the sexagenary stem-branch calendar, signifying the formal start of the mid-winter season.
The Major Snow solar term reflects the changing trends of temperature and precipitation and is a product of ancient agricultural culture's sensitivity to seasonal rhythms. During Major Snow, people distinctly feel the drop in temperature, the increase in precipitation, and the shortening of daylight hours. Under the combined influence of warm, moist air currents and cold air, many regions of China experience temperature drops and gale-force winds, with minimum temperatures falling below 0°C and the cold turning biting. In the north, being affected earlier by cold air, snowfall generally occurs first, including sleet formed from precipitation turning into wintry mix. When cold waves or strong cold air masses sweep southward, the Jiangnan (south-of-the-Yangtze) region, with its ample moisture and high humidity, may sometimes experience snowfall over a wider area and in greater amounts than the north. After heavy snow in winter, the accumulated snow cover helps maintain the temperature of the ground and around the crops, preventing further drops due to cold air incursions, thus providing a better overwintering environment for the crops. As the saying goes: “A timely snow promises a bountiful harvest.”
The history of the Major Snow solar term can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. According to the Yueling Qishier Hou Jijie (Collected Explanations of the Seventy-Two Pentads of the Monthly Ordinances) compiled by the Yuan dynasty scholar Wu Cheng, the concept of the “Seventy-Two Pentads,” which includes Major Snow, was first recorded in the Lüshi Chunqiu (Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals). By the Tang and Song dynasties, the Major Snow solar term had already become an important basis for agricultural activities.
During Major Snow, the ancients observed customs such as “treading through snow to seek plum blossoms,” “fishing on a cold river in the snow,” “brewing tea with melted snow,” and “storing ice during Major Snow.” In “brewing tea with melted snow,” literati and refined scholars would collect fresh snow from the tips of branches, melt it into water, and brew tea, gathering around the stove to converse, feast, and compose poetry. “Storing ice during Major Snow” involved cutting and collecting ice blocks to store in ice cellars for use in the summer. In northern regions, people enjoy watching ice formations, playing in the snow, and admiring frozen rivers, delighting in a variety of colorful ice and snow activities. Many regions have the custom of curing meats around the time of Major Snow. In the folk tradition of northern Shandong, there is also the custom of drinking sweet potato porridge during Major Snow.
