What are the customs of the Minor Cold solar term? What’s the significance of Xiaohan?

What are the customs of the Minor Cold solar term? What’s the significance of Xiaohan?
Minor Cold is the 23rd of the 24 solar terms, which means the arrival of winter. So what are the customs of the Minor Cold solar term? What’s the significance of Xiaohan? Let’s take a look at the following content!

What are the customs of the Minor Cold solar term?

1. Visit plum blossoms
At this time, the wintersweets are in bloom and the red plums are in bud. Choose an ideal scenic spot with plum blossoms and appreciate them carefully. You will smell the elegant fragrance and your mind will be refreshed and invigorated.
2. Ice play
In the northern provinces of my country, the weather is extremely cold after winter, and the ice period is extremely long, often starting from November until April of the following year. Between spring and winter, the river surface is frozen thickly and people have to use sleds to travel on the ice. The sled is either pulled by a horse, led by a dog, or pushed forward by the rider holding a wooden pole and rowing like a boat. In areas where the ice is particularly thick, there are usually ice beds for pedestrians to play on. There are also people who race on the ice wearing ice skates, which was called ice play in ancient times. The History of Song Dynasty records: "According to the tradition, they stayed overnight in the fasting garden and played with ice." The Imperial Records of the Past Records of Japan records: "To the west of Xihua Gate is the West Garden, which is named West Garden Gate. At the entrance is the Taiye Pond. In winter, people would play with ice and practice hard work and reward each other." The Miscellaneous Notes of Yiqing Pavilion records the old customs of Peking: "In the Ming Dynasty, there was a enthusiast at Jishuitan. He connected more than ten beds, brought a large basket of wine utensils, spread them on the ice, and drank from the ice. He was also very happy."
3. La Festival
"Xiao Han" is the solar term in the twelfth lunar month. As the ancients would hold the La Festival in December to worship all gods, the twelfth month when the La Festival was held was called the La Yue. The wood meaning of La is "connection", which means the connection between the old and the new. La Festival is one of my country's ancient sacrificial customs, which was formed as early as the pre-Qin period. Han Yingjie's "Customs and Practice". "La Festival" says: "La means hunting, which means hunting animals in the fields to sacrifice to their ancestors. Some say that La means connection, the connection between the new and the old, so a grand sacrifice is held to repay the merits." "La Festival" has three meanings. The first is to show that one has not forgotten the origin of himself and his family, and to express respect and remembrance for his ancestors. The second is to offer sacrifices to the gods and thank them for their contributions to agriculture over the past year. Third, people have worked hard all year round, and now is the time to rest from farming, so they can take this opportunity to have some fun. Since the Zhou Dynasty, the custom of "La Festival" has been passed down from generation to generation, from the emperor, princes to ordinary people, everyone is no exception. 4. Eat Laba Congee
Another important folk custom during the Minor Cold solar term is eating "Laba porridge". According to ancient books, Laba porridge is cooked with yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, millet, peeled date paste, etc., and then dyed with red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, etc. These foods are sweet and warm, and have the effects of regulating the spleen and stomach, tonifying the middle and replenishing Qi, nourishing Qi and blood, dispelling cold and strengthening the body, and promoting fluid production and quenching thirst.
5. Eat glutinous rice
There is a Guangdong proverb that goes, "It's cold even without wind during the Lesser Cold and the Greater Cold." It is a traditional custom to eat glutinous rice in the morning of the Lesser Cold and the Greater Cold to ward off the cold. According to folk tradition, glutinous rice has a higher sugar content than rice. Eating it will make the whole body feel warm and help drive away the cold. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, glutinous rice has the effect of nourishing the middle and replenishing qi, and it is most suitable to eat glutinous rice in cold seasons.

What’s the significance of Xiaohan?

Keep warm in daily life
Minor Cold is one of the coldest of the 24 solar terms in a year. At this time, you must pay attention to keeping warm in your daily life.
"Traditional Chinese medicine believes that 'coldness causes stagnation and coldness causes contraction.' When the weather is cold, joint pain, cervical spondylosis and even cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are more likely to occur." Keeping warm is the top priority, especially for areas that are prone to cold, such as the shoulders, neck, and feet. For the elderly, in addition to keeping warm, they should also pay attention to ventilation and closely prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

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