When is the "Xiaoxue" (Minor Snow) solar term each year
The "Xiaoxue" (Minor Snow) solar term occurs on: November 22 or 23 of the Gregorian calendar each year, when the sun reaches 240 degrees of the zodiac.Minor Snow in 2022: November 22, 2022 at 4:10 PM, the 29th day of the tenth lunar month in the year Renyin!
The Minor Snow Solar Term:
Minor Snow is a solar term that reflects precipitation and temperature. It is a time when cold waves and strong cold air activity are frequent. The "minor snow" in the solar term has no necessary connection with the "snow" in weather forecasts. The "minor snow" in the solar term refers to a climate concept, reflecting temperature and precipitation. However, the "minor snow" in weather forecasts refers to light snowfall.
What customs and activities are associated with the "Xiaoxue" (Minor Snow) solar term?
1. Eating Ziba (Glutinous Rice Cake)In some southern regions, there is a custom of eating Ziba during the Minor Snow solar term. Ziba is a food made by steaming glutinous rice and then pounding it into a paste, which is a popular delicacy in some southern areas of China.
2. Eating "Pao Tang"
Around the time of Minor Snow, people in most parts of the country will slaughter pigs for the year. A group of relatives and neighbors will come to the host's home to eat "Pao Tang". After eating "Pao Tang", some farmers will start to preserve excess meat using traditional methods, making sausages and cured meats.
3. Drying Fish
Around the time of Minor Snow, large groups of blackfish and bannerfish gather along the coasts of central and southern Taiwan. Fishermen will catch these fish and dry them into fish sticks. There is a local saying in Taiwan: "October beans, fat beyond head," referring to the "bean fish" that can be caught in the area of Buda in Jiayi County during the tenth lunar month.
