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.
Beginning of Winter (Lidong) is the nineteenth of the twenty-four solar terms and the beginning of winter. The handle of the Big Dipper points to the northwest, and the sun reaches the ecliptic longitude of 225°, occurring annually between November 7 and 8 in the Gregorian calendar. “Li” means “to establish, to begin”; “Dong” means “the end,” when all things are gathered and stored away. Lidong signifies that the life force begins to retreat and store itself, and all things enter a state of rest and conservation. The climate also transitions from the dry, rain-deficient conditions of autumn to the overcast, rainy, and cold conditions of the winter climate.
Common methods for dividing the seasons mainly include the “solar term method” and the “temperature method.” In traditional Chinese practice, “Beginning of Winter” from the “Twenty-Four Solar Terms” serves as the start of winter; winter as defined by the “solar term method” indicates that all things enter a state of rest and storage. The “temperature method” defines the start of winter as the point when the daily average temperature stabilizes below 10°C for five consecutive days; winter as defined by the temperature method indicates that the weather has become cold.
Lidong has three pentads: “In the first pentad, water begins to freeze; in the second pentad, the earth begins to harden; in the third pentad, pheasants enter the great waters and become clams.” The main agricultural activities during Lidong include winter irrigation, winter plowing, and compost accumulation.
Lidong is one of the seasonal nodes that Chinese folk culture regards with great importance. Spring plowing and summer weeding, autumn harvesting and winter storing — winter is the season to enjoy the harvest and to rest and recuperate. In ancient society, Lidong was also one of the “Four Seasons and Eight Festivals,” a very significant festive occasion. In some regions of China, folk customs include ancestor worship, feasting, and welcoming winter. At the same time, dietary customs associated with Lidong include eating dumplings, eating sugarcane, and eating raw scallions.
