As the saying goes, "a small cold and a big cold, dripping water becomes ice", what does it mean? What are the folk activities of the Xiaohan solar term?

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Text | Reading Jun

New Year's Day has passed, and 2024 has arrived. Time flies like a white horse.

When I grew up, I found that the four seasons of the year, 365 days, 24 solar terms, the record is only phenology, the iterative changes of all things in nature, the time is actually very short, Xiaohan has arrived, the New Year is coming again, urging the workers, and it is time to return home.

Xiaohan is the penultimate solar term of the 24 solar terms of the year, and it is also the fifth solar term of winter, which is handed over on January 5~7 of the Gregorian calendar, which is Xiaohan.

The arrival of Xiaohan is like the overture of the winter movement, announcing the official opening of the cold season and the end of the year. However, in the word "small", there is a hint of relief, which means that although the cold at this time is real, it has not yet reached the extreme.

First, the cold climate

Like the solar terms such as the Great Cold, the Small Heat, and the Great Heat, the Little Cold is a record and notice of the change of cold and warm throughout the year.

The arrival of the Xiaohan solar term means that the temperature will be further reduced, and cold will become the theme of this season. In most parts of the continent, the period of the Little Cold and the Great Cold is the coldest time of the year.

"The Seventy-two Candidate Explanations of the Lunar Order" said: "On the December Festival, the cold at the beginning of the month is still small, so the clouds. Half a month is a big deal. ”

Translated, it means that the solar term Xiaohan usually occurs at the beginning of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, when the warm energy accumulated by the earth in the summer has been depleted.

As the winter deepens, the severe cold gradually intensifies, and the cold air continues to accumulate, and finally the cold turns into cold. However, this stage is not the coldest time, so it is called "Xiaohan", that is, the severe cold has not yet reached the extreme.

About half a month later, when the cold accumulated to the peak, it reached the time of extreme cold, and then ushered in another solar term - the Great Cold. The arrival of the Great Cold marks the peak of the cold of winter, and the year will usher in an extremely cold period. For this reason, there are sayings such as "small cold and big cold, dripping water into ice", which is what it means.

Of course, what is being expressed here is only a relatively common phenomenon, and it is not necessarily the coldest time when it reaches the Great Cold, and some years may also be the coldest time before or after the Great Cold Solar Term.

Unlike the heat of the small summer and the big heat, the hot wave can be felt almost all over the country. The temperature changes brought about by the small cold and the big cold are more pronounced in the northern regions, especially in the northeast such as Harbin.

When the Xiaohan solar term arrives, the north is already covered in snow. The land has long been frozen hard, as if even the earth is trembling. The river has long been frozen and has become a playground for children to skate and play. The cold air is like a knife, and you can feel the harshness of winter deeply.

However, such an icy scene is rare in the southern Guangxi region where Reading Jun is located. Although the solar terms of the small cold and the big cold also brought about a drop in temperature, it was far less than the biting cold in the north. In winter, the garden is still full of greenery, flowers are blooming, and it is also the season of harvest and picking sugar oranges, giving people a different winter style.

2. The phenology of Xiaohan

Xiaohan has three waits: "one waits for the wild goose Beixiang, the second waits for the magpie to start the nest, and the third waits for the pheasant to start the robin." ”

A waiting goose in the north of the country: refers to the small cold season, the wild goose begins to migrate to the hometown in the north. This phenomenon not only shows the wild goose's attachment to its homeland, but also reveals the sensitivity and adaptation of organisms in nature to environmental changes.

Although it is still freezing in the cold season, the yang energy has begun to sprout silently. Wild geese, these migratory birds that are extremely sensitive to climate change, have sensed the warmth of the north. So, they began to prepare themselves and flutter their wings to escape the heat of the south and return to their homeland in the north. The appearance of the wild goose array seems to be nature's announcement: although winter is cold, the pace of spring is not far away.

The second waiting for the first nest of the magpie: In the second of Xiaohan, the magpie begins to build a nest in the grass to prepare for the upcoming spring and the birth of offspring. Magpies, as auspicious birds in traditional Chinese culture, not only reflect the positive adaptation of animals to the living environment, but also imply the arrival of the new year and the continuation of life.

Three Pheasant Greasants: "Pheasants" are pheasants, pheasants, pheasants, in the last wait of Xiaohan, the male pheasants began to feel the germination of yang energy, they chirped with the female pheasant, the sound resounded throughout the valley.

Xiaohan Sanhou is talking about the birds' induction and response to the germination of yang energy and the coming of spring. From this, we can see that the ancestors' observation of all things in nature, climate and phenological changes is very subtle, and the behavior and Xi of these birds are not only closely related to the changes of solar terms, but also contain profound philosophy and life wisdom.

3. The instructions of the Xiaohan solar term on agricultural production

The establishment of the Xiaohan solar term originated from the ancient Chinese farming culture. In ancient times, based on the observation of celestial phenomena and climate, people summarized the laws of the 24 solar terms in order to guide agricultural activities. As the coldest season of winter, the small cold and the big cold have an important impact on people's lives and agricultural production.

The Xiaohan solar term is an important guiding symbol in agricultural production. At this time, the northern farmland enters the winter rest period, and the farmers mainly keep warm, and at the same time actively make fertilizer and accumulate fertilizer, so as to make full preparations for the spring ploughing in the coming year. In the south, farmers are busy planting overwintering vegetables, such as choy sum and oilseed lettuce, to ensure the supply of winter vegetables.

Because solar terms have an important indicative effect on agricultural production, our ancestors summed up a lot of experience. For example, the folk saying often says "small cold and warm, spring is cold, small cold and cold, six animals are safe".

What does that mean?

In fact, it is easy to understand, which means that if the weather is unusually warm during the small cold season, or snowflakes are rare, then the next spring, it may be attacked by abnormal weather such as "inverted spring cold". If the weather is cold during the Xiaohan solar term, then everything is fine.

Of course, there is some truth to these conclusions. After all, in what kind of season, there should be a corresponding climate, if there is an abnormality, then it may affect the whole body, resulting in a series of adverse effects.

Therefore, the 24 solar terms created by the ancestors are not only a node of time, but also contain many profound truths. The climate change of solar terms is not only related to the current cold and warm, but also a kind of prediction and warning of the future climate trend. The same is true for the Xiaohan solar term.

Fourth, the traditional Xi and health preservation of the Xiaohan solar term

1. Laba Festival

With the arrival of Xiaohan, the lunar calendar time has also entered the wax moon, and at this time, the pace of the New Year is getting closer and closer. The Laba Festival is an important traditional folk festival before and after the Xiaohan solar term, which is held on the eighth day of December of the lunar calendar every year. This festival is also known as the "Enlightenment Festival" and was originally a day to commemorate the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha. Because the Buddha first originated in India, legend has it that this festival was transmitted to China from ancient India.

On this day, each temple holds a solemn ceremony to make offerings to the Buddha with carefully selected fragrant grains and fruits, and this bowl of reverence is called "Laba porridge". On the eve of the eighth day of the lunar month, the monks of some monasteries will hold bowls and bowls to the people, and then boil the rice, millet, dates, nuts and other ingredients collected from these fates into delicious Laba porridge, which is distributed to the poor, good men and women. Later, over time, the Xi of making Laba porridge in monasteries gradually spread to the people and became an important way for people to celebrate Laba Festival.

According to relevant documents, the earliest written record of Laba porridge began in the Song Dynasty and has been handed down for thousands of years. According to Xu Ke's "Qing Barnyard Banknotes", on the 8th day of the twelfth month, the major temples in Tokyo will carefully boil porridge with seven treasures and five flavors and glutinous rice. Every Laba day, whether it is the imperial court, the government, the temple or the ordinary people's homes, they will be busy, in order to boil a pot of fragrant and nutritious Laba porridge.

During the Qing Dynasty, this Xi reached its peak. On the eve of Laba, the imperial court will give Laba porridge to hundreds of civil and military officials and palace maids to show the emperor's grace. At the same time, the imperial court will also distribute rice, fruit and other porridge ingredients to various monasteries, so that the monks can make more Laba porridge and enjoy themselves with the people.

Drinking laba porridge is a traditional eating activity and a health preservation activity. The whole grains are rich in nutrients, providing the body with sufficient energy and calories to help ward off the cold, while the sweetness of dried fruits adds a different flavor to the bowl. In the cold winter, drinking a bowl of hot laba porridge can not only warm the body, but also contain a profound way of health preservation.

Of course, in addition to drinking Laba porridge, the traditional Xi activities of Laba Festival also include pickled Laba garlic and so on.

2. Eat sticky rice

In the cold season, people in many places like to enjoy delicious meals made with a variety of ingredients to warm the body and mind and resist the cold. For example, in Guangdong, there is a traditional Xi of eating sticky rice. On this day, people carefully choose high-quality glutinous rice for cooking, and then serve it with stir-fried "lap-mei", which Cantonese people uniquely refer to as "lap-mei", which adds to the mellow taste of the meal. In Nanjing, rice is cooked with a variety of ingredients such as green vegetables, bacon meat, diced duck, and green beans. This kind of rice is also diverse and nutritious, and has become an indispensable delicacy on a cold day.

3. Tonic and health preservation

There is a folk proverb that "three nines make up for one winter, and there will be no illness in the coming year". Before and after the Xiaohan solar term, the weather is cold, and it is necessary to pay attention to meat tonics, and people will eat some foods to keep warm during this period, such as stewed chicken soup, mutton shabu, boiled ginger duck, etc.

In addition, on the coldest days of the year, it is also necessary to pay attention to health preservation, and to "go to the cold and warm it" to avoid the cold from disturbing the body's yang energy. In the diet, you can appropriately supplement some warm foods, such as longan, red dates, etc., and at the same time, you can also eat more foods rich in vitamin C to improve the body's immunity.

In addition, winter exercise should not be too strenuous and you can choose more gentle exercises such as walking and tai chi to strengthen your body.

Fifth, the reader said

In short, as an important solar term in winter, Xiaohan solar terms not only have rich cultural connotations and traditional Xi, but also contain the power and wisdom of life. By understanding the climatic characteristics, phenological phenomena and Xi culture of Xiaohan, we can not only better appreciate the breadth and profundity of Chinese culture, but also feel the unique charm and life force of this solar term.

Reference: Wang Ru, Yang Chengqing, eds.Zhonghua Folklore Quanjian[M].2022

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