Major Cold — 2025 insights
Major Cold大寒
Major Cold is the 24th and final solar term. Around 20 January the sun reaches 300° longitude, and bitter air sweeps through China. Northern winds grow fierce, temperatures plunge, and many regions sit under blankets of unmelting snow.
Key dates
Gregorian date: 2025-01-20
Lunar date: Last lunar month, 21st day, 甲辰 year
Arrives around January 20 to 21
Seasonal origin
The coldest stretch of the entire year arrives in full force.
Seasonal verse
How could Major Cold pass without a cup of wine? I wish to gift more yet resources are thin. Paper money loosens from a thrifty hand; a humble clay pot can barely hold three pints.
Customs
Minor Cold is followed closely by Major Cold, just before spring. Families clean homes, cure festive meats, and gather New Year supplies. In northern China, the twelfth lunar month eighth day—Laba Festival—brings nourishing porridge simmered with grains, peanuts, chestnuts, lotus seeds, and red dates.
Seasonal food
As Major Cold overlaps with the approach of Spring Commences, people shift from heavy tonics to food that gently encourages rising spring energy. In Foshan, Guangdong, families steam sticky rice in earthen pots; in Anqing, Anhui, spring rolls signal the coming season.
Guidance
Winter is a time for conserving energy. Rest well, avoid needless overexertion, and keep calm. Traditional wellness emphasises "storing" vitality now—guard your inner fire so the body can handle the final cold snap.