隆冬至· 今日小寒 | The midwinter solstice - Minor Cold

“Minor Cold” The colder the sky, 

the warmer at home

进入小寒，年味渐浓，人们开始忙着写春联、剪窗花，买年画、彩灯、鞭炮、香火等，准备辞旧迎新过大年。远方的游子也盼着团圆，忙碌了一年，“回家”二字，才是漂泊的终点。

During this period people are busy writing Spring Festival couplets, cutting window grilles, buying New Year pictures, lanterns, firecrackers, incense, etc., preparing to leave the old and welcome the New Year. The wanderers are also looking forward to reunion. After a busy year, the word “come back home” is the end of the wandering.

“Minor Snow” walks

in the snow to find plums

寒冬腊梅，残雪金阳，成冬日一番奇趣景象。此花的开放，也许是为了给蛰居人们一个出游理由。小寒时节，民间多有赏梅风俗。

During the Minor cold season, there are many folk customs of enjoying plum blossoms.

“Minor Snow” Keep warm

“三九补一冬，来年无病痛”，记得多吃些温补食物哦! 还要提醒大家小寒是一年中最冷的节气之一,大家一定要注意防寒保暖哦!

Remember to eat more warm and tonic food! Don’t forget that Minor Cold is one of the coldest solar terms in the year, everyone must pay attention to keep warm!

Minor Cold

全国温度大幅下降，当太阳黄经达285度时，小寒节气开始。寒即寒冷，小寒表示寒冷的程度。

The temperature across the country has dropped dramatically. When the sun’s eclipse reaches 285 degrees, the Minor Cold solar term begins. Cold means cold, and Minor Cold represents the degree of cold.

中国隆冬最冷的地区是黑龙江北部，最低气温在可达零下40℃左右，天寒地冻，滴水成冰。小寒时北京的平均气温一般在-5℃上下，极端最低温度在-15℃以下;东北北部地区，这时的平均气温在-30℃左右，极端最低气温可低达-50℃以下，午后最高气温平均也不过-20℃。黑龙江、内蒙古和新疆45以北的地区及藏北高原，平均气温在-20℃上下，40N附近的河套以西地区平均气温在-10℃上下。到秦岭、淮河一线平均气温则在0℃左右，此线以南已经没有季节性的冻土，冬作物也没有明显的越冬期。这时的江南地区平均气温一般在5℃上下，虽然田野里仍是充满生机，但亦时有冷空气南下，造成一定危害。

The coldest area in China in mid-winter is northern Heilongjiang. The lowest temperature can reach minus 40°C. The sky is freezing and dripping water turns into ice. The average temperature in Beijing during the Minor Cold period is generally around -5°C, and the extreme minimum temperature is below -15°C; in the northeast, the average temperature at this time is around -30°C, and the extreme minimum temperature can be as low as -50°C.  The average temperature is no more than -20°C. The average temperature in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and the areas north of Xinjiang 45 and the Northern Tibet Plateau is around -20°C, and the average temperature in the west of Hetao near 40N is around -10°C. The average temperature in the Qinling Mountains and Huaihe River is around 0℃. There is no seasonal frozen soil to the south of this line, and there is no obvious overwintering period for winter crops. At this time, the average temperature in the south of the Yangtze River is generally around 5°C. Although the fields are still full of life. However, from time to time, there is also cold air going south, causing certain harm.

Minor Cold health food

北方的冻梨，顾名思义就是冻成冰坨一块的梨子。虽然相比鲜梨，它的卖相黑不溜秋，可那爽利甘凉，却是一口润心田，令人无法忘怀。

冻住的梨，也意味着冻住了“离”，小寒食冻梨，人间少别离。小寒期间，风寒日冷，人们特别喜欢用食物给自己加暖，烤红薯、烤甘蔗、烤橘子…阳火的力量，渗透食物。吃得胃暖，烤得心暖。

Frozen pears in the north, as the name suggests, are pears frozen into a lump of ice. Although compared to fresh pears, its appearance is not slippery, but it is refreshing and sweet, it is a mouthful, which is unforgettable.
During the Minor Cold period, the day is cold. People especially like to use food to warm themselves, baked sweet potatoes, baked sugar cane, baked oranges… Eat to warm your stomach and to keep your heart warmly.

小寒节气，老南京讲究吃菜饭，其来源估计与天冷进补有关系，所谓菜饭就是青菜和米饭一起翻炒，加入咸肉、香肠、火腿、板鸭丁，其中矮脚黄、板鸭都是南京的著名特产，极具南京特色。

In the Minor Cold, the old Nanjing pays attention to eating vegetable rice. The source is estimated to be related to the cold weather. The so-called vegetable rice is stir-fried with green vegetables and rice, adding bacon, sausage, ham, and dried duck. Duck is a famous specialty of Nanjing, which is very characteristic of Nanjing.

小寒节气中就有一重要的民俗就是吃“腊八粥”，《燕京岁时记》中记载“腊八粥者，用黄米、白米、江米、小米、菱角米、栗子、红豇豆、去皮枣泥等，合水煮熟，外用染红桃仁、杏仁、瓜子、花生、榛穣、松子及白糖、红糖、琐琐葡萄，以作点染。

There is an important folk custom in the Minor Cold solar term to eat Laba porridg”.Yanjing Chronicle”, records that”Laba porridge,with yellow rice, white rice, river rice, millet, water chestnut rice, chestnuts, red cowpea, peeled jujube puree, etc…”. Put it in water and cook, and dye it with red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, white sugar, brown sugar, and trivial grapes for external use.”

羊肉在温热食物中性价比高，如果用羊肉加点当归、山药、胡萝卜一起煮，加上大葱和生姜调味，每周吃一次，不但不会上火，还可以暖暖地过个冬天。

Lamb is cost-effective in warm food. If you cook lamb with angelica, yam, carrots, with green onions and ginger seasoning, eat it once a week. Not only will you not get angry, you can also spend the winter warmly.

老南京还有逢“九”吃一只鸡、每天一个鸡蛋的进补习惯，所以小寒这天市民的餐桌上也少不了鸡汤和鸡蛋。母鸡炖汤，搭配点养生材料，红枣、莲子、枸杞、桂圆等，也可搭配香菇、山药、虫草花，或者干贝、海米都行，味道都鲜美平和，小火慢慢煲煮2-3个小时，然后将上面的油脂撇去，鸡去骨拆肉，直接吃喝，做火锅汤底，或者早晨用鸡汤煮面。

Old Nanjing also has the habit  of eating one chicken and one egg a day on “Nine”, so on this day, during Minor Cold people also have chicken soup and eggs on the table. Hen stew soup, with some health materials, red dates, lotus seeds, goji berries, etc., can also be paired with mushrooms, yams, cordyceps flowers, or dried scallops, sea rice. The taste is delicious and peaceful, slowly cook for 2-3 hours on a low heat, and then skim off the top grease,  remove the chicken bones and meat, eat and drink directly, make hot pot soup, or cook noodles in chicken soup in the morning.

广州传统，小寒早上吃糯米饭，为避免太糯，加60%糯米和40%香米，把腊肉和腊肠切碎，炒熟，花生米炒熟，加一些碎葱白，拌在饭里面吃。

Guangzhou tradition, during Minor Cold eat glutinous rice in the morning, in order to avoid too sticky, add 60% glutinous rice and 40% fragrant rice, chop the bacon and sausage, stir-fry, peanuts and rice stir-fry, add some crushed green onions, mix in the rice to eat.