Winter · No.23
Minor Cold
Xiao Han
Cold enough that water freezes as it drips, the north enters its hardest stretch, and wintersweet blooms.
Minor Cold falls around the sanjiu period, among the coldest days of the year. Under the Siberian high the north freezes solid and rivers bear a person's weight; the south is damp-cold, and drizzle makes it feel sharper. Geese begin moving north, magpies carry twigs to build nests, pheasants call from the snow. Field work stops and turns to repairs, compost heaps and cleared ditches. Meals are warming: mutton hotpot and pickled cabbage stew in the north, cured meat rice and long-simmered soup in the south. The twelfth month approaches, so pork is cured and couplets written.
Three pentads
- 1
Wild geese start moving north in loose flocks
- 2
Magpies carry twigs and rebuild their nests
- 3
Pheasants call briefly from the snow-covered fields
What people eat now
Laba porridge
Laba falls near Minor Cold, eight grains, beans and dried fruits simmered into porridge from before dawn.
vegetable rice
Nanjing eats vegetable rice at Minor Cold, salted pork and green greens steamed straight into the rice in one pot.
glutinous rice
In Guangdong people eat glutinous rice at Minor Cold, mixed with sausage, dried shrimp and peanuts, a bowl that lasts till noon.
What people wear
Minor Cold is one of the coldest stretches of the year, so check the wind before going out and add a layer if it is strong. Thermal underwear, a down coat zipped to the chin, and a hat and scarf around the face. Indoors, undo the outer layer first rather than shedding everything at once.