霜降：气肃而凝，露结为霜
霜降，是二十四节气中的第十八个节气，通常在公历 10 月 23 – 24 日交节。此时，天气渐冷，空气中的水汽在地面或植物上凝结成细微的白色冰晶，形成霜花，这便是 “霜降” 名称的由来。霜降意味着秋季即将结束，冬季的脚步日益临近，是秋季到冬季的过渡节气，大地一片萧瑟，草木枯黄，落叶纷飞，蛰虫咸俯，万物都在为即将到来的寒冬做最后的准备。
一、霜降的历史渊源
霜降在我国历史悠久，其记载最早见于《月令七十二候集解》：“九月中，气肃而凝，露结为霜矣。” 古人通过长期对自然气候的观察与总结，深刻认识到霜降时节的气候特点，并将其纳入二十四节气体系，用以指导农业生产与人们的生活。在传统农业社会，霜降是一个极为关键的农事节点，北方地区大部分农作物已收割完毕，开始进入冬季农田管理和储存农产品阶段；南方则进入了 “三秋” 大忙的收尾时期，农民们忙着收割晚稻、采摘棉花等，同时也要为冬季的农作物种植做好准备，如播种冬小麦等。这一系列的农事活动充分体现了古人对霜降节气的重视以及对自然规律的精准把握，霜降也因此成为我国农耕文化中不可或缺的重要组成部分。
二、霜降的民俗文化
（一）饮食习俗
霜降有着独特的饮食习俗。民间有 “霜降吃柿子” 的传统，此时柿子成熟，皮薄肉厚，味道甜美。柿子富含多种维生素和矿物质，具有清热润肺、生津止渴、健脾益胃等功效，在干燥寒冷的霜降时节食用，有助于预防呼吸道疾病，增强身体抵抗力。而且，柿子还有 “事事如意” 的美好寓意，深受人们喜爱。在一些地区，还有吃牛肉的习俗，霜降后天气渐寒，人体需要更多的热量来抵御寒冷，牛肉是一种高热量、高蛋白的食物，具有暖胃补气等作用，食用牛肉可以帮助人们增强体质，适应寒冷的气候。此外，霜降时节，萝卜也大量上市，萝卜性凉味辛甘，有消食化滞、止咳化痰等功效，人们常将萝卜与其他食材一起炖煮，如萝卜炖羊肉等，既能品尝到美味的菜肴，又能起到养生保健的作用。
（二）传统活动
霜降期间的传统活动丰富多样且富有地域特色。在一些山区，霜降时节有登高远眺的习俗，此时山林间秋景如画，枫叶如火般燃烧，银杏叶金黄灿烂，人们登上山顶，既能欣赏到壮丽的秋日美景，感受大自然的神奇与美妙，又能锻炼身体，舒缓心情。在闽南地区，霜降这一天有吃鸭子的习俗，当地认为鸭子具有滋阴补血、养胃生津的功效，适合在霜降时节食用，以应对天气的干燥和寒冷。此外，霜降还有祭祀祖先的活动，人们会在这一天前往祠堂或墓地，献上祭品，缅怀祖先，表达对先人的感恩与追思之情，这一活动体现了中华民族慎终追远的传统美德，也反映了家族观念在人们心中的重要地位。
三、霜降的文化意义
霜降蕴含着深刻的文化意义。从自然科学角度看，它是气温骤降、水汽凝结的结果，标志着大自然气候循环进入了一个新阶段，体现了季节交替的规律性和不可抗拒性。在文化层面，霜降的民俗活动反映了人们对自然变化的适应与应对策略。吃柿子、牛肉、萝卜等饮食习俗，是人们根据季节特点选择适宜食物来调养身体的体现；登高远眺、祭祀祖先等传统活动，则蕴含着人们对自然美景的欣赏、对家族传承的重视以及对生活的敬畏与感恩。霜降就像一座桥梁，连接着自然与人文，传承着中华民族千年的智慧与情感，它提醒人们在季节的变迁中，要尊重自然、顺应自然，珍惜家庭、传承家族文化，以积极乐观的态度面对生活的变化，在寒冷的冬季来临之际，积蓄力量，迎接新的挑战。
Frost’s Descent: The Air Is Cold and Condenses, and the Dew Turns into Frost
Frost’s Descent is the eighteenth solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, usually occurring around October 23 – 24 in the Gregorian calendar. At this time, the weather is getting colder, and the water vapor in the air condenses into tiny white ice crystals on the ground or plants, forming frost flowers, which is where the name “Frost’s Descent” comes from. Frost’s Descent means that autumn is coming to an end and winter is approaching. It is a transitional solar term from autumn to winter. The earth is desolate, with withered grass and fallen leaves everywhere, and hibernating insects hiding. All things are making final preparations for the coming cold winter.
1. Historical Origin of Frost’s Descent
Frost’s Descent has a long history in China. Its earliest record can be seen in “The Collection and Explanation of the Seventy-two Phenological Terms of the Monthly Ordinances”: “In the middle of the ninth lunar month, the qi is cold and condenses, and the dew turns into frost.” The ancients, through long-term observation and summary of the natural climate, deeply understood the climatic characteristics of the Frost’s Descent season and incorporated it into the twenty-four solar terms system to guide agricultural production and people’s lives. In traditional agricultural society, Frost’s Descent was a crucial farming node. In the northern regions, most of the crops had been harvested and started to enter the stage of winter farmland management and storage of agricultural products. In the south, it entered the final stage of the busy “autumn harvest, autumn ploughing and autumn sowing”. Farmers were busy harvesting late rice, picking cotton, etc., and also making preparations for winter crop planting, such as sowing winter wheat. This series of farming activities fully reflects the ancients’ attention to the Frost’s Descent solar term and their accurate grasp of the laws of nature. Therefore, Frost’s Descent has become an indispensable and important part of China’s agricultural culture.
2. Folk Culture of Frost’s Descent
(1) Dietary Customs
Frost’s Descent has unique dietary customs. There is a traditional custom of “eating persimmons during Frost’s Descent” among the people. At this time, persimmons are ripe, with thin skins, thick flesh and a sweet taste. Persimmons are rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals and have the effects of clearing heat, moistening the lungs, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst, strengthening the spleen and benefiting the stomach. Eating them during the dry and cold Frost’s Descent season helps prevent respiratory diseases and enhance the body’s resistance. Moreover, persimmons also have the beautiful meaning of “everything goes well” and are deeply loved by people. In some regions, there is also a custom of eating beef. After Frost’s Descent, the weather is getting colder, and the human body needs more heat to resist the cold. Beef is a high-calorie and high-protein food with the functions of warming the stomach and tonifying qi. Eating beef can help people strengthen their bodies and adapt to the cold climate. In addition, during Frost’s Descent, radishes are also on the market in large quantities. Radishes are cool in nature, pungent and sweet in taste, and have the effects of promoting digestion and resolving food stagnation, relieving cough and resolving phlegm. People often stew radishes with other ingredients, such as mutton stewed with radishes, which can not only taste delicious dishes but also play a role in health preservation.
(2) Traditional Activities
The traditional activities during Frost’s Descent are rich and diverse and have regional characteristics. In some mountainous areas, there is a custom of climbing mountains and looking into the distance during Frost’s Descent. At this time, the autumn scenery in the mountains is like a painting, with maple leaves burning like fire and ginkgo leaves shining golden. People climb to the top of the mountain, which can not only appreciate the magnificent autumn scenery and feel the magic and beauty of nature but also exercise the body and soothe the mood. In the southern Fujian area, there is a custom of eating ducks on the day of Frost’s Descent. The local people believe that ducks have the effects of nourishing yin and blood, regulating the stomach and promoting fluid production and are suitable for eating during Frost’s Descent to cope with the dryness and coldness of the weather. In addition, there is also an activity of sacrificing to ancestors during Frost’s Descent. People will go to the ancestral hall or cemetery on this day, offer sacrifices and remember their ancestors, expressing their gratitude and remembrance for the ancestors. This activity reflects the traditional virtue of the Chinese nation of remembering the past and respecting the ancestors and also shows the important position of the family concept in people’s hearts.
3. Cultural Significance of Frost’s Descent
Frost’s Descent contains profound cultural significance. From the perspective of natural science, it is the result of a sudden drop in temperature and the condensation of water vapor, marking that the natural climate cycle has entered a new stage, reflecting the regularity and irresistibility of the alternation of seasons. On a cultural level, the folk activities of Frost’s Descent reflect people’s adaptation and coping strategies to natural changes. Dietary customs such as eating persimmons, beef and radishes are the manifestations of people choosing suitable foods to regulate their bodies according to the characteristics of the season. Traditional activities such as climbing mountains and looking into the distance and sacrificing to ancestors contain people’s appreciation of natural beauty, attention to family inheritance and awe and gratitude for life. Frost’s Descent is like a bridge, connecting nature and humanity, inheriting the wisdom and emotions of the Chinese nation for thousands of years. It reminds people that in the changes of seasons, they should respect nature, conform to nature, cherish the family, inherit the family culture and face the changes of life with a positive and optimistic attitude. When the cold winter is approaching, they should accumulate strength and meet new challenges.