双语：小寒

Minor Cold

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Cold (Chinese: 小寒), the 23rd solar term, begins this year on Jan 5 and ends on Jan 19.

传统的农历将一年分为24个节气。小寒（Minor Cold）是一年中第23个节气，从今年的1月5日开始，到1月19日结束。

During Minor Cold, most areas in China have entered the bitter cold stage of winter. The ground and rivers are frozen. The cold air from the north moves southward continuously.

在小寒期间，大部分地区都已进入寒冬时节。土地和河流都被冰冻了起来。北方的冷空气不断向南移动。

Let’s take a look at the traditional customs of Minor cold:

下面我们来一起了解一下过小寒的传统风俗：

冰戏 ( Ice Play)

In the northern provinces of China, the climate after winter is very cold, and the ice period will be very long, which usually from November to April. Between spring and winter, the river is thickly frozen, and you will use a climbing plough when walking on the ice. Most of the places with thick ice surfaces will have ice beds for pedestrians to play, and there are also ice skates racing on the ice surface, which was called ice play in ancient times.

北方的各省，在冬天之后天寒地冻，冰期会非常的久，通常从11月起，直到次年4月。春冬之间，河面结冰厚实，冰上行走都会用爬犁。冰面特厚的地方，大多都会设有冰床，供行人来玩耍，也有穿冰鞋在冰面溜冰的，古代的时候称为冰戏。

腊祭(Wax sacrifice)

Minor cold is the solar term of the twelfth month. Because the ancients would hold a Wax Festival to worship the gods in December, the December where the wax festival was located was called the twelfth month. The original meaning of “La” is “connect”, which means the transition of the old and new. Wax offering is one of the ancient sacrificial customs in China, which has existed as far back as the pre-Qin period.

小寒是腊月的节气，由于古人会在12月份举行合祀众神的腊祭，因此把腊祭所在的12月叫腊月。腊的本义是“接”，取新旧交接的意思。腊祭为我国古代祭祀风俗之一，远在先秦时期就已经有这个风俗了。

探梅(Exploring Plum)

During the Minor Cold the wintersweets are already in bloom, and the red plums are in early puberty.Choose the best scenery with plum blossoms, and enjoy them carefully.There is a solitary fragrance in the nose, which will refresh your mind.

小寒时腊梅已开，红梅含苞待放，挑选有梅花的绝佳风景地，细细赏玩，鼻中有孤雅幽香，神智也会为之清爽振奋。

准备年货（Prepare New Year Goods）

Minor cold is the 23rd solar term in the 24 solar terms, so when minor cold comes, it means that it is not far from Spring Festival. Therefore, when the Minor Cold in many places the taste of the new year is getting stronger, and every family has been busy writing spring festival couplets, cutting window flowers, going to the markets to buy new year pictures, light, firecrackers, and so on, one after another to prepare for the Spring Festival.

小寒节气是24节气中的第23个节气，所以小寒时节到了之后，也就意味着距离我们的春节就已经不远了。因此，小寒的时候很多地方的年味渐浓，家家户户都已经开始忙着写春联、剪窗花，赶集买年画、彩灯、鞭炮等等，陆续为春节做准备。

整理：2023年1月8日于北城家园