Minor Cold (小寒, xiǎo hán) is the 23rd solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms (節(jié)氣, jié qì). For most areas of China, it marks the start of the coldest days of the year. This year's Minor Cold starts on Jan 6. Many Chinese sayings use the weather and climate situation during Minor Cold to predict the weather in the following spring.

Still, bitter cold (嚴(yán)寒, yán hán) can't prevent people from enjoying their lives. Here are some things that help us stay warm during Minor Cold.

Stocking up for New Year (準(zhǔn)備年貨, zhǔn bèi nián huò)

During Minor Cold, people always start stocking New Year goods, which include Spring Festival couplets (春聯(lián), chūn lián), New Year pictures (年畫, nián huà), paper-cuts for window decoration (窗花剪紙, chuāng huā jiǎn zhǐ), fire crackers (鞭炮, biān pào), incense (香, xiāng) and lanterns (燈籠, dēng lóng).

Mutton hot pot (涮羊肉火鍋, shuàn yáng ròu huǒ guō), chestnuts (吃栗子, chī lì zi) and baked sweet potato (烤紅薯, kǎo hóng shǔ)

Mutton hot pot, chestnuts and baked sweet potato are three recommended foods for Minor Cold. According to traditional Chinese medicine theories (中醫(yī)理論, zhōng yī lǐ lùn), people need to eat food that contains more yang energy (溫補(bǔ)陽(yáng)氣, wēn bǔ yáng qì) to prevent cold from harming their organs. The yang energy in the three types of food is strengthened through their method of cooking: boiling, stir frying and baking (煮、炒和烤, zhǔ、chǎo hé kǎo)

Beef (牛肉, niú ròu), sesame (芝麻, zhī ma), walnuts (核桃, hé tao), almonds (杏仁, xìng rén) and raisins (葡萄干, pú tao gān) are also good choices for Minor Cold.

Eating Laba porridge (喝臘八粥, hē là bā zhōu)

Another important traditional food for Minor Cold is Laba porridge. It is made from more than 20 kinds of nuts (堅(jiān)果, jiān guǒ), cereals (谷物, gǔ wù) and dried fruits (干果, gān guǒ). Local people in Beijing often cook Laba porridge (熬臘八粥, áo là bā zhōu) on the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month (農(nóng)歷臘月初七晚, nóng lì là yuè chū qī wǎn). After one night's slow simmering, all the ingredients melt into the porridge in the morning of the eighth day, becoming a warm delicacy to enjoy on cold days.

Tasting Nanjing vegetable rice (品嘗南京蔬菜飯, pǐn cháng nán jīng shū cài fàn)

People in Nanjing used to take Minor Cold quite seriously, and they still keep a custom of eating vegetable rice to celebrate this solar term. The rice is steamed with aijiaohuang (矮腳黃青菜, ǎi jiǎo huáng qīng cài) (a kind of green vegetable), sausage (香腸, xiāng cháng ) and salted duck (鹽水鴨, yán shuǐ yā) that are all the specialties in Nanjing.

Making Chinese traditional herbal medicine (制作中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)中草藥, zhì zuò zhōng guó chuán tǒng zhōng cǎo yào)

Minor Cold is also the busiest time for doctors and pharmacies of traditional Chinese medicine (中醫(yī)館, zhōng yī guǎn). Many people need them to prepare new medicines, which will be consumed before the Lunar New Year (農(nóng)歷新年, nóng lì xīn nián).

來(lái)源：chinadaily.com.cn
編輯：萬(wàn)月英