Traditions of Great Cold

'Great Cold', the last solar term in 24 solar terms, comes around January 20 each year. In this period, the cold waves from Siberia arrives in China. The snow and rain as well as the icy cold weather exert a big influence on people's life and transportation. When the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 300 degrees, hens start to hatch, eagles fly everywhere trying to find food and water freeze to the thickest level. When this day arrives, it's time to welcome the Spring Festival. People get busy with buying new things, salting the meat and preparing New Year good.

"Great Cold" represents the end of 24 solar terms and also marks the end of winter.

Traditional Customs

During "Great Cold", there are still not many farming activities. In north China, people get busy with preparing the fertilizer. In south China, people are often busy with catching field mouse. Another important day during this period is the "La Ba" Festival. "La" means the last month of lunar calendar and "Ba" means eight. People usually make porridge with 8 kind of mixed grains and corns, i.e. "La Ba porridge", and eat it during the last month of the lunar calendar.

Healthy Living Tips

Winter is a time for all lives to hide. When everything is hiding from the cold, human body's supersession is also very slow. During this period, people should sleep early and get up late, and try to save the Yang Qi inside the body.