Minor snow is the 20th solar term among the 24 Chinese traditional solar terms. During this period, the activities of the cold wave and strong cold air become frequent, and, the weather is getting cold.
小雪，是二十四节气中的第二十个节气。在这个时节里，寒潮和强冷空气活动频繁，天气也逐渐寒冷。
As the saying goes, "Minor snow is the beginning of beautiful winter", through which the ancient Chinese people praised for the snow scene during minor snow. What’s more, minor snow, called Xiao Xve in Chinese, sounds like a gentle and quiet little girl who decorates and wraps up the bare nature with white snow, which brings people experience of beauty.
俗话说：“小雪至，冬始俏。”这是古人对小雪节气时下雪场景的赞美。小雪在中文里听起来也如同一个温柔娴静的小女孩，用自身的雪白，银装素裹着大自然，带给人们美的体验
The weather in minor snow is an important indicator for the guidance on farming activities. "When it snows unceasingly in minor snow, there will be a bumper harvest next year." Falling snow during this period often means well-distributed rainfall as well as no drought or flood next year. And snow can make some germs and pests freeze to death, thereby reducing the occurrence of crop disease. The accumulated snow also has an effect of warming, which is conducive to the decomposition of organic matter in the soil and improve soil fertility, hence the agricultural harvest next year.
小雪的气象是指导农事活动的重要依据。“小雪雪满天，来年必丰年。”小雪落雪，常常意味着来年雨水的均匀，无大旱涝。而下雪可冻死一些病菌和害虫，减轻病虫害的发生，产生的积雪又有保暖作用，利于土壤的有机物分解，增强土壤肥力，使来年农业大丰收。
Traditional custom
传统习俗
Making cured meat—With the temperature rapidly dropping and the air getting drier, it is a good time to process cured meat after minor snow. Those living in the countryside began curing excess meat to store by making sausage or cured meat so as to enjoy during the Spring Festival.
腌腊肉——小雪后气温急剧下降，天气变得干燥，是加工腊肉的好时机。一些农家开始制作香肠、腊肉，把多余的肉类用腌制方法储备起来，待到春节时正好可以享受。
Eating Ciba(a kind of a glutinous rice cake)—Traditional Chinese medicine believes that glutinous rice has sweet taste, warm nature and has the functions of preventing the cold as well as nourishing the spleen and stomach. After being made into Ciba, its taste is smooth and delicate, which is easier to digest and absorb than the original glutinous rice. In some areas of south China, there still preserve the custom of eating Ciba in the 10th lunar month.
吃糍粑——中医认为糯米味甘、性温，有御寒、补中益气等作用；制作成糍粑后，它的口味爽滑、细腻，相对于原来的糯米更易消化吸收。在南方某些地方，还有农历十月吃糍粑的习俗。
Drying fish—Around the time of minor snow, while mullet and other fish migrate to the Taiwan Strait in groups, fishermen living in the central and southern coastal areas of Taiwan Province start engaging in fishing activities and drying fish as storing food to survive the winter.
晒鱼干——在小雪前后，乌鱼等鱼类成群来到台湾海峡，生活在台湾省中南部海边的渔民们会从事捕捞活动，开始晒鱼干、储存干粮，以度过寒冬。
During this season, the temperature is easy to frequently drop, so we must pay attention to adding appropriate clothes to keep warm. Additionally, the reduction of sunlight may bring us depressed negative emotions. Therefore, we have to maintain an optimistic attitude and can actively adjust the mentality by observing the beauty of winter.
这一时节，气温容易频繁骤降，需注意添加衣物保暖。光照的减少可能带给我们压抑的负面情绪，我们更得保持乐观态度，善于发现冬日的美好，积极调整心态。
Date: November 26, 2023
Photos: Pexels/Pixabay
