Autumn · No.17
Cold Dew
Han Lu
Dew now feels icy and is close to freezing; chrysanthemums open and the north slides into deep autumn.
Cold Dew brings more frequent cold fronts, temperatures a good ten degrees below White Dew, and dew cold enough that frost is close. Geese fly south in lines or wedges, small birds thin out, clams appear on the beaches, and chrysanthemums hit their peak. The north finishes harvest and sows wheat, picking apples and persimmons; the south worries about cold wind hitting flowering rice. The Double Ninth Festival often falls here, a day for climbing hills, admiring chrysanthemums, drinking chrysanthemum wine and eating layer cake. Dry air dries the throat, so sesame, walnut and snow fungus go into the pot.
Three pentads
- 1
The last geese arrive and settle by the water
- 2
Small birds vanish as clams appear on the shore
- 3
Chrysanthemums open yellow, clump after clump
What people eat now
sesame
Sesame is harvested around Cold Dew, pressed into oil or toasted and scattered over cakes, its fragrance plain and direct.
chrysanthemum wine
Chrysanthemums bloom at Cold Dew; the petals go into wine that is opened at the Double Ninth, a ritual of autumn.
hawthorn
Hawthorns redden at Cold Dew, skewered into candied sticks or cooked into jam, sour enough to make you squint.
What people wear
Cold Dew brings autumn's first real chill, the dew sharp enough to sting your hands. Move to a thick shirt and knit under a trench coat, collar up in the morning to cover your neck. Wear heavier trousers and longer socks, since cold feet make the whole body shrink.