小雪(Minor Snow)

小雪:天地积阴,寒未深而雪未大

小雪,作为二十四节气中的第二十个节气,通常在公历 11 月 22 – 23 日交节。此时,由于天气寒冷,降水形式由雨逐渐转为雪,但因寒气尚不深,所以降雪量还不大,故而得名 “小雪”。小雪节气的到来,意味着冬季的寒冷进一步加深,天地间的阴气逐渐积聚,万物也开始进入闭藏修养的阶段,为抵御更严寒的气候做准备。

一、小雪的历史渊源

小雪在我国有着悠久的历史传承,其记载最早可追溯至《月令七十二候集解》:“十月中,雨下而为寒气所薄,故凝而为雪。小者未盛之辞。” 古人通过长期对自然气候的观察与总结,精准地把握了小雪时节的气象特征,并将其纳入二十四节气体系,用以指导农业生产与日常生活。在传统农业社会,小雪是一个重要的农事时节,北方地区开始着手进行冬季农田水利建设和农作物防寒防冻工作,如修缮灌溉渠道、为果树涂白等,以保护农业生产设施与农作物免受严寒侵害;南方地区则进入了小麦、油菜等农作物的田间管理阶段,进行中耕除草、施肥等农事活动,确保农作物能够安全越冬并在来年茁壮成长,这充分体现了古人依据节气规律合理安排农事活动的智慧,小雪节气也因此成为我国农耕文化的重要组成部分。

二、小雪的民俗文化
(一)饮食习俗

小雪有着独特的饮食习俗。民间有 “小雪腌菜,大雪腌肉” 的说法,小雪时节,气温逐渐降低,空气较为干燥,正是腌制蔬菜的好时机。人们会将白菜、萝卜、雪里蕻等蔬菜进行腌制,经过腌制后的蔬菜不仅可以保存较长时间,而且口感独特,酸咸可口,成为冬季餐桌上的常见菜肴,如酸菜炖粉条、萝卜干炒腊肉等,这些菜肴为寒冷的冬季增添了浓郁的风味。此外,在一些地区还有吃糍粑的习俗,糍粑是用糯米蒸熟后反复捶打而成,口感软糯,香甜可口。食用糍粑可以为身体补充能量,抵御寒冷,而且在制作糍粑的过程中,全家老少齐动手,也增进了家庭的凝聚力和欢乐氛围。在南方一些水乡,小雪时还有吃刨汤的习俗,所谓刨汤,就是用新鲜猪肉制作的美食,通常是在杀年猪后宴请亲朋好友,大家围坐在一起共享美食,这一习俗既体现了丰收后的喜悦,也加强了邻里之间的情感交流。

(二)传统活动

小雪期间的传统活动丰富多样。在一些山区,小雪时节有晒鱼干的传统,由于此时空气干燥且寒冷,鱼不易变质,渔民们将捕捞上来的鱼洗净后,用盐腌制,然后晾晒在通风良好的地方,经过一段时间的晾晒,鱼干就制作完成了。鱼干味道鲜美,营养丰富,可以用来炖汤、清蒸或红烧,是冬季餐桌上的美味佳肴,这一活动反映了人们利用自然条件进行食物储存和加工的智慧。在民间,小雪还有剪纸的习俗,妇女们会在闲暇时光聚在一起,用剪刀和彩纸剪出各种精美的图案,如雪花、动物、花卉等,这些剪纸作品不仅可以用来装饰家居,增添节日氛围,还寄托了人们对美好生活的向往与祝福。另外,小雪时节部分地区有酿米酒的习俗,人们选用优质糯米,经过蒸煮、发酵等工序,酿造出香甜醇厚的米酒。米酒度数较低,在寒冷的小雪天里,喝上一碗暖暖的米酒,既能暖身活血,又能让人在微醺中感受冬日的惬意。

三、小雪的文化意义

小雪蕴含着深刻的文化意义。从自然科学角度看,它是气候变化的一个重要节点,反映了气温下降、降水形式转变以及天地间阴阳二气的消长变化,是大自然规律的生动体现。在文化层面,小雪的民俗活动反映了人们对自然环境变化的适应与应对策略。腌制蔬菜、制作鱼干等饮食习俗是人们为了在冬季食物相对匮乏时能够有足够的食物储备而采取的措施;而吃糍粑、刨汤等习俗则体现了人们在冬季通过饮食来增强体质、享受丰收成果以及增进家庭与社会关系的生活智慧。剪纸、酿米酒等传统活动则蕴含着人们对美的追求、对传统文化的传承以及对生活品质的讲究与热爱。小雪就像一座桥梁,连接着自然与人文,传承着中华民族千年的智慧与情感,它提醒人们在寒冷的冬季要遵循自然规律,合理安排生活,注重家庭与社区的和谐,在静谧的季节里感受传统文化的魅力,积蓄力量,等待来年春天的复苏与生机。

Minor Snow: The Accumulation of Yin in Heaven and Earth, Cold but Not Intense, Snowfall Not Heavy

Minor Snow, the twentieth solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, usually occurs around November 22 – 23 in the Gregorian calendar. At this time, due to the cold weather, the form of precipitation gradually changes from rain to snow. However, since the coldness is not yet deep, the snowfall is not large, hence the name “Minor Snow”. The arrival of the Minor Snow solar term means that the cold of winter further intensifies, the yin qi in heaven and earth gradually accumulates, and all things start to enter the stage of dormancy and recuperation to prepare for resisting the more severe cold climate.

1. Historical Origin of Minor Snow

Minor Snow has a long historical heritage in China. Its earliest record can be traced back to “The Collection and Explanation of the Seventy-two Phenological Terms of the Monthly Ordinances”: “In the middle of the tenth lunar month, the rain is affected by the cold qi and thus condenses into snow. ‘Minor’ means not yet abundant.” The ancients, through long-term observation and summary of the natural climate, accurately grasped the meteorological characteristics of the Minor Snow season and incorporated it into the twenty-four solar terms system to guide agricultural production and daily life. In traditional agricultural society, Minor Snow was an important farming season. In the northern regions, people started to carry out winter farmland water conservancy construction and cold prevention and frost protection work for crops, such as repairing irrigation channels and whitewashing fruit trees to protect agricultural production facilities and crops from the severe cold. In the southern regions, it entered the field management stage of crops such as wheat and rapeseed, carrying out farming activities such as intertillage, weeding and fertilization to ensure that the crops could survive the winter safely and grow vigorously in the coming year. This fully reflects the wisdom of the ancients in reasonably arranging farming activities according to the solar term laws. Therefore, the Minor Snow solar term has become an important part of China’s agricultural culture.

2. Folk Culture of Minor Snow
(1) Dietary Customs

Minor Snow has unique dietary customs. There is a saying among the people that “pickle vegetables in Minor Snow and cure meat in Major Snow”. During Minor Snow, the temperature gradually decreases and the air is relatively dry, which is a good time for pickling vegetables. People will pickle vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, radish and potherb mustard. The pickled vegetables can not only be preserved for a long time but also have a unique taste, sour and salty, and become common dishes on the winter table, such as stewed vermicelli with pickled cabbage and stir-fried cured meat with dried radish. These dishes add a strong flavor to the cold winter. In addition, in some regions, there is a custom of eating glutinous rice cakes. Glutinous rice cakes are made by steaming glutinous rice and then repeatedly pounding it. They have a soft and sticky texture and a sweet and delicious taste. Eating glutinous rice cakes can supplement energy for the body and resist the cold. Moreover, during the process of making glutinous rice cakes, the whole family, old and young, work together, which also enhances the family cohesion and a happy atmosphere. In some southern water towns, there is a custom of eating “paotang” during Minor Snow. “Paotang” is a kind of food made from fresh pork. Usually, after killing the year-old pig, people will invite relatives and friends to a banquet. Everyone sits around and shares the delicious food. This custom reflects the joy after the harvest and also strengthens the emotional communication between neighbors.

(2) Traditional Activities

The traditional activities during Minor Snow are rich and diverse. In some mountainous areas, there is a traditional of drying fish during Minor Snow. Since the air is dry and cold at this time, fish are not easy to deteriorate. Fishermen wash the caught fish, salt them and then dry them in a well-ventilated place. After a period of drying, the dried fish is completed. Dried fish has a delicious taste and rich nutrition and can used for making soup, steaming or braising and is a delicious dish on the winter table. This activity reflects people’s wisdom in using natural conditions for food storage and processing. Among the people, there is also a custom of paper-cutting during Minor Snow. Women will get together in their spare time and use scissors and colored paper to cut out various exquisite patterns, such as snowflakes, animals and flowers. These paper-cut works can not only be used to decorate homes and add a festive atmosphere but also express people’s longing and blessings for a beautiful life. Additionally, in some regions, there is a custom of brewing rice wine during Minor Snow. People select high-quality glutinous rice and through processes such as steaming and fermentation, brew sweet and mellow rice wine. The alcohol content of rice wine is relatively low. On a cold Minor Snow day, having a warm bowl of rice wine can not only warm the body and promote blood circulation but also make people feel the coziness of winter in a slightly tipsy state.

3. Cultural Significance of Minor Snow

Minor Snow contains profound cultural significance. From the perspective of natural science, it is an important node of climate change, reflecting the decrease in temperature, the transformation of precipitation forms and the waxing and waning of yin and yang qi in heaven and earth and is a vivid manifestation of the laws of nature. On a cultural level, the folk activities of Minor Snow reflect people’s adaptation and coping strategies to the changes of the natural environment. Dietary customs such as pickling vegetables and making dried fish are measures taken by people to have sufficient food reserves when food is relatively scarce in winter. Customs such as eating glutinous rice cakes and “paotang” reflect people’s life wisdom in enhancing their physical strength, enjoying the harvest results and improving family and social relations through diet in winter. Traditional activities such as paper-cutting and brewing rice wine contain people’s pursuit of beauty, inheritance of traditional culture and pursuit and love for life quality. Minor Snow is like a bridge, connecting nature and humanity, inheriting the wisdom and emotions of the Chinese nation for thousands of years. It reminds people to follow the laws of nature, reasonably arrange their lives, pay attention to the harmony of family and community in the cold winter, feel the charm of traditional culture in the quiet season, accumulate strength and wait for the recovery and vitality in the coming spring.