The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Snow, the 20th solar term of the year, begins this year on Nov 22 and ends on Dec 6.

中国传统二十四节气的第20个节气是小雪，今年的小雪从11月22日开始，12月6日结束。

Minor Snow refers to the time when it starts to snow, mostly in China's northern areas, and the temperature continues to drop.

小雪指的是开始下雪（多半是在北方）的时节，在这期间气温会继续下降。

Here are seven things you should know about Minor Snow.

一起来了解一下关于小雪的7个小常识。

Light snow小雪

An ancient Chinese book about plants explains that "in Minor Snow, the weather is cold and it is going to snow, while the earth is not frozen enough and the snow is light." The temperature in most areas in the north drops to zero degrees and below. Meanwhile, in the lower and middle reaches of the Yellow River, the average time of the first snow falls during the Minor Snow solar term. The snow is light and frozen at night, but melts quickly during the day.

古籍《群芳谱》有云：“小雪气寒而将雪矣，地寒未甚而雪未大也。”北方大部分地区气温会降到零度以下。与此同时，黄河中下游地区将会在小雪节气前后降下初雪。雪下得不大，夜里冻住的积雪一到白天就迅速融化。

Wearing hats and scarves戴上帽子和围巾

In China, starting in Minor Snow, the wind blows from the northeast a lot. Because it's still not bitterly cold, many people do not wear hats or scarves yet. In fact, according to an old Chinese saying, "the head is the place where all passages of the body gather". It's sensible to keep one's head warm.

从小雪节气开始，东北风刮的多了，但这时还不是特别冷，很多人都还没戴帽子或围巾。事实上，中国古语有云，人体的各条经络都汇聚于头部。因此做好头部保暖很明智。

Drinking soup喝汤

During Minor Snow, indoor heating begins to work, which means the air indoors is dry and most people might find their nose and mouth feels a bit dry. According to practices in traditional Chinese medicine, this accumulation of "inner heat" in one's body can cause problems, including oral ulcers and breakouts. The solution is to drink more hot soup, such as cabbage and bean curd soup, spinach and bean curd soup, and mutton and radish soup.

小雪时节室内开着暖气，这意味着室内空气干燥，大多数人可能都会觉得口鼻有点干。传统中医认为，内热积聚易引发口腔溃疡和长痘等毛病。解决办法是多喝热汤，比如白菜豆腐汤、菠菜豆腐汤、羊肉萝卜汤等。

Eating glutinous rice cake吃年糕

In some areas of South China, people have glutinous rice cakes around Minor Snow. In ancient times, glutinous rice cakes were a traditional festival offering to the bull god.

在南方的一些地区，人们会在小雪前后吃年糕。年糕在古代是用来祭牛神的传统节日供品。

Making preserved pork制作腌肉

After Minor Snow, the temperature declines sharply and the air becomes dry. It is the best time to start making preserved pork, which by the Chinese Spring Festival would be ready to enjoy. In the past, when storage conditions were poor, people developed many ways to store food and preserved pork is one such example. So even in the bitter winter, the whole family could enjoy meat. Some even say preserved pork tastes more delicious than fresh meat.

小雪节气后，气温骤降，空气干燥。这是开始制作过年吃的腌肉的最好时机。过去储存条件差，人们研究出了很多保存食物的方法，腌肉就是其中之一。这样即使是在严冬，一家人也可以享用肉食。有些人甚至认为，腌肉比鲜肉更为美味。

Making pickled vegetables制作腌菜

For thousands of years, the people of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, have welcomed Minor Snow with pickled vegetables made in different ways.

数千年来，南京人用各式腌菜迎接小雪节气的到来。

Nanjing is known for its pickled vegetables. In the past, due to inconvenient transportation, vegetables sold in Nanjing were few and expensive. Thus people there made pickled vegetables for the winter.

南京以腌菜闻名。过去，由于交通不便，南京卖的蔬菜品种少价格高，于是南京人冬天就制作腌菜。

Avoiding spicy food少吃辣食

On cold days, people may crave some hot and spicy food to keep warm. Experts say it's wise not to eat overly spicy food, since that will increase your inner heat.

天冷的时候，人们可能会想吃一些热乎乎的辛辣食物，让身子暖和起来。专家认为，最好不要吃太辣的食物，因为这会增加内热。