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Major Snow
Snow fills the world; night wind sounds beyond the wooden gate.
Solar term date
Dates follow the Hong Kong Observatory’s calendar. They are civil dates, rather than precise astronomical times.
About this solar term
Major Snow begins at solar longitude 255°. It evokes deepening winter and snow, although snowfall varies widely from place to place.
Traditional signs refer to quiet winter birds, mating tigers and emerging hardy plants. Historical names and observations should not be treated as a universal wildlife calendar.
Snow can insulate soil and crops under some conditions. Winter foods, snow viewing and preparations for cold weather feature in regional traditions.
Seasonal signs
Winter birds fall quiet, tigers begin to mate, and hardy shoots appear in traditional seasonal lore.
Traditional seasonal signs combine observation with historical imagination. Weather and wildlife vary by region and year.
A reading of the poem
Winter's gathering cold becomes a flurry of snow wherever one looks. A flute sounds through the night; at dawn a reader opens a book behind a red curtain. The calendar's musical note changes, and the birds fall quiet. Countless living beings linger over the last warmth of the evening light.
Tang dynasty · Traditionally attributed to Yuan Zhen
咏廿四气诗·大雪十一月节
Poem source