10th lunar month: Start of Winter, Minor Snow (October 28, 2019-November 25, 2019)

Keywords: preventing cold; protecting yang

•After Start of Winter, the cold weather can affect heart and cerebral vessels, so it's necessary to wear a hat and pay attention to preventing cold and protecting yang qi;

•Drink more hot soup, such as Chinese Cabbage and Beancurd Soup, Spinach and Beancurd Soup and Mutton and Radish Soup and eat less cold-natured food;

•After Minor Snow, it's better to eat raw radishes and cooked pears. Pears can moisten the lungs, clear heat, nourish yin and promote the secretion of body fluid. Raw radishes can clear heat, promote the secretion of body fluid, reduce phlegm and stop coughing, but those with deficiency-cold in spleen and stomach should not eat raw radishes.

Introduction

Start of Winter

“Start of Winter” arrives on November 7 or November 8 each year. In Chinese, it's called “Li Dong”. “Li” means beginning and “Dong” means winter. In ancient times, the explanation for “Dong” was that “all the crops are harvested and dried and it's time to put them into the storage. All the animals are ready to hide and start winter sleep”. Therefore, “Dong” not only means winter, but also that the metabolism of the nature gets slower. At this time of the year, some rivers and landscape in China start to freeze. In north China, most of the areas already enter winter and for places besides Yangtze River, the real winter comes after “Minor Snow ”. (source: en.people.cn)

Minor Snow

When the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 240 degrees on November 22 to November 23 each year, it's the time for “Minor Snow ”. Some areas along the Yellow River start to snow. It's usually light snow, freezing in the night and melting in the morning. The soil is not cold enough, and snow can't accumulate a lot on the ground. During this period, the rainbow is gone since it doesn't rain anymore. The Yang Qi goes up and Yin Qi flows down and all things lost vitality. (source: en.people.cn)