Winter · No.20
Minor Snow
Xiao Xue
Snow starts in the north but mostly melts on contact; the sky stays grey and the air turns dry.
By Minor Snow the cold air strengthens and snow starts in the north, though it is light and melts quickly on ground that is still warm. First snow usually shows up in the Yellow River basin now; along the Yangtze the weather is a raw, grey drizzle. Cloud sits low, daylight is scarce, and people feel flat. Northern farmers water the wheat fields before the freeze and mulch them with straw; in the south, late rice is cut and pork is salted and sausages hung. Tujia families kill a pig and make a fresh pot of broth. Fires are lit indoors, so keep a window open.
Three pentads
- 1
Rainbows disappear and the sky turns flat grey
- 2
Warm air rises, cold air sinks, and they part
- 3
Everything closes in and winter settles properly
What people eat now
cured meats
At Minor Snow households cure pork, strings of sausage drying in the wind, the taste of the new year starting.
pounded rice cake
In western Hunan people pound glutinous rice for ciba at Minor Snow, the steamed grain beaten hot and pressed into flat rounds.
winter bamboo shoot
Winter bamboo shoots are dug at Minor Snow; sliced and fried with cured pork they taste so fresh no seasoning is needed.
What people wear
Minor Snow brings the first flurries and a falling thermometer. Wear a sweater under a padded coat with a thermal layer beneath, and a hat, since the wind finds your ears first. Switch to thick-soled shoes with grip, and dry them at home after walking through slush.