Minor Cold, the twenty-third of the 24 solar terms, marks the approach of the coldest period of the year.
In the cold wind, the festive atmosphere quietly spreads. People are busy preparing for the Chinese New Year, writing Spring Festival couplets, decorating windows with paper-cuts, putting up New Year pictures and buying fireworks.
Minor Cold is an excellent time for replenishment. It is advisable to eat nourishing foods such as lamb, and pair them with vegetables like Chinese cabbage and radishes, which help strengthen the body and resist the cold.
Hot pot with lamb, sugar-roasted chestnuts, and roasted sweet potatoes are all essential winter treats, warming both the heart and the stomach. It is important to keep warm when you go out, and regular moderate exercise can help boost immunity and maintain overall health.
Although Minor Cold symbolizes the cold winter, signs of spring are already emerging. For example, wild geese migrate to the north, magpies start to build their nests, and pheasants start to tweet loudly.
Among the 24 solar terms, only White Dew and Minor Cold are marked as being bird-related in phenology. Ancient Chinese believed that birds were the first to sense the flows of the energy of yin and yang.
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