The "Heavy Snow" solar term usually falls on December 7th every year (or on the 6th or 8th in some years). When the sun's ecliptic longitude reaches 255 degrees, it is "Daxue", one of the 24 solar terms. Daxue, as the name suggests, means a lot of snow. The ancients said: "Da means abundant, and the snow is abundant at this time." At this time, the snow often falls heavily and over a wide area, so it is called Daxue. "The Collection of Explanations of the 72 Seasons of the Lunar Calendar" says: "The snow is abundant at this time." Daxue means that the weather is colder and the possibility of snowfall is greater than that of Xiaoxue, but it does not mean that the amount of snowfall must be large. On the contrary, after Daxue, the precipitation in various places will further decrease. The average precipitation in December in Northeast China and North China is generally only a few millimeters, and less than 1 millimeter in Northwest China; Daxue, when the size of snow is classified by snowfall, the general snowfall is 5.0-10 millimeters.
Climatic characteristics of heavy snow solar term
During the heavy snow season, except for the winter-free areas of South China and southern Yunnan, the vast land of China is covered with winter attire. The average temperature in the Northeast and Northwest regions has dropped to -10°C, and the temperature in the Yellow River Basin and North China has also stabilized below 0°C. In years with normal climate, snow has appeared in the Yellow River Basin and areas to the north, and winter wheat has stopped growing. After the heavy snowfall, the south of the Yangtze River enters the midwinter season. The temperature drops significantly in various places, and freezing phenomena often occur. "After the heavy snowfall in the winter solstice, the water in the basket does not leak" is a true portrayal of this time. However, this is not always the case in some years. The temperature is higher and there is no freezing phenomenon.
Folk customs of the Heavy Snow solar term
During the Big Snow season, the days are short and the nights are long in all parts of the northern hemisphere, so there is a saying such as "Big Snow or Small Snow, Cooking Never Stops", which is used to describe the short days, so that the peasant women almost have to cook three meals in a row. As the saying goes, "Heavy snow means drought years, so don't wait to build ponds and repair granaries". At this time, people also have to speed up winter waterway construction, fertilizer accumulation, granary repair, and grain storage. Women gather in groups of three or five to do needlework. Craftsmen spend their main energy on crafts, such as printing New Year pictures, grinding tofu, weaving baskets, and making money to supplement their family income.
After the big snow, the temperature gradually becomes colder, and people pay great attention to keeping warm inside and outside the house, and put on winter clothes to prevent freezing and frostbite. There is a saying among the people in northern Shandong that "the roller hits the door, and only red sticky porridge is drunk", which means that when it is cold, they will no longer visit each other, but only drink warm sweet potato porridge at home. In addition, it is common to go outside to enjoy the snow and make snowmen when it snows.
There is a saying in old Nanjing, "pickle vegetables in Minor Snow, pickle meat in Major Snow". When the Major Snow solar term arrives, every household is busy pickling "salty goods". Add star anise, cinnamon, pepper, sugar, etc. to the pan and fry until cooked. After the fried pepper salt is completely cooled, apply it to the inside and outside of fish, meat and poultry, and rub it repeatedly until the meat color turns from fresh to dark and liquid oozes out of the surface. Then put the meat and the remaining salt into the jar, press it with a stone, and put it in a cool and dark place. Take it out after half a month, put the marinade into the pot, add water and boil it, skim off the foam, put in the dried poultry and livestock meat, stack them layer by layer in the jar, pour in the brine, and press it with a big stone. Take it out after ten days, hang it under the eaves facing the sun to dry, to welcome the New Year.
