What are the characteristics and customs of the Minor Cold solar term? What is the origin of the Minor Cold solar term?

What are the characteristics and customs of the Minor Cold solar term? What is the origin of the Minor Cold solar term?
In our traditional culture, there are many customs in the Minor Cold solar term. So what are the characteristics and customs of the Minor Cold solar term? What is the origin of the Minor Cold solar term? Let’s take a look at the following content!

What are the characteristics and customs of the Minor Cold solar term?

North-South Differences
The weather during the Minor Cold is extremely cold, and the geographical span between north and south is large, resulting in different production, farming, and living customs. In terms of farming, there is no work in the fields in most parts of the north, and people have to rest for the winter. The main task at home is to keep vegetable cellars and livestock houses warm, and to make and store fertilizer. In the past, livestock such as cattle and horses were the main labor force of a family and required special care. The weather is the coldest during the Minor Cold period, so we should pay more attention to keeping livestock warm. People usually burn fires in cow sheds and stables to keep warm. Small livestock are more cautious in keeping warm - they are given individual straw mats and straw curtains to block the wind. People who are particular about this will use warm water for their livestock to reduce their energy consumption as much as possible and prevent diseases. They will also add a little salt to the drinking water to replenish the salt loss in the livestock's body in cold weather and enhance their immunity. Often we see livestock licking the base of walls and drinking dirty water. This is a sign that the livestock are short of salt, so they lick the salinity in the soil at the base of walls or absorb salt from dirty water. During the Lesser Cold season in southern China, it is necessary to clean ditches for rapeseed and apply top dressing to wheat. If there is strong cold air, sprinkle wood ash, crop straw or cover the fields with manure to help crops survive the coldest season. Based on years of farming experience, people often use the climate of Minor Cold to speculate on the climate change of the coming year and make farming plans early. For example, in Shandong Province, there are sayings such as "If there is no rain in Minor Cold, there will be drought in Major Heat" and "If there are clouds and fog in Minor Cold, the next spring will be a year of drought." Living customs
In daily life, in addition to paying attention to keeping warm on a daily basis, the festive atmosphere becomes stronger as the Lesser Cold approaches. People begin to busy themselves with writing Spring Festival couplets, cutting window flowers, going to the market to buy New Year pictures, lanterns, firecrackers, incense, etc., and gradually prepare for the Spring Festival. In terms of diet, eating mutton hotpot, sugar-roasted chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes have become the fashion during the Minor Cold. As the saying goes, "Nourish yourself in the coldest days of winter and you will be free of illness in the coming year." This refers to the practice of eating mutton in winter to nourish the body. According to "Miscellaneous Notes of Tianjin", there was a custom of eating yellow sprouts during the Minor Cold in Tianjin in the old days. Yellow cabbage sprouts are a specialty of Tianjin, made from cabbage sprouts. After the winter solstice, cut off the stems and leaves of the cabbage, leaving only the heart, about two inches off the ground, cover it with manure and do not allow air to pass through. Eat it after half a month. It will be crispy and tender, making up for the shortage of vegetables in winter. Modern people's living standards have improved, and all kinds of vegetables and meat are available in all seasons. They no longer worry about the scarcity of vegetables in winter as they did in the past.

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