19 / 24
Beginning of Winter
Winter strips the hills to their outlines; the world begins to rest.
Solar term date
Dates follow the Hong Kong Observatory’s calendar. They are civil dates, rather than precise astronomical times.
About this solar term
Beginning of Winter starts at solar longitude 225°. It marks winter in the traditional calendar rather than the arrival of winter weather in every region.
Seasonal lore describes freezing water and ground, alongside a tale of pheasants becoming shellfish. The transformation is part of old belief, not modern natural history.
Regional foods and gatherings celebrate storing the harvest and preparing for winter. Different communities observe the season in different ways.
Seasonal signs
Water and earth begin to freeze; old lore tells of pheasants entering the sea.
Traditional seasonal signs combine observation with historical imagination. Weather and wildlife vary by region and year.
A reading of the poem
Frost brings the cold close, and thin ice spreads across green water. A slender moon appears as the last lines of geese pass. The harvest has been stored; attention turns to making warm clothes. The poem closes with the old seasonal tale of pheasants entering the water and becoming shellfish.
Tang dynasty · Traditionally attributed to Yuan Zhen
咏廿四气诗·立冬十月节
Poem source