Minor Cold: Welcoming spring amid winter's chill

Sunday marks the beginning of Xiaohan, or Minor Cold. It is the 23rd of China's 24 solar terms and signals the arrival of the coldest period of the year. Despite the chill, this time also heralds the transition from winter to spring, with the first hints of spring gradually emerging and the promise of warmer days ahead.

This year, Minor Cold runs from January 5 to January 19. As Chinese New Year, which falls on January 29 this year, approaches, preparations for China's biggest festival kick into high gear. Families start bustling about, buying Spring Festival couplets, paper cuttings, New Year paintings, lanterns, and firecrackers. Local folk performances and temple fairs add to the festive atmosphere.

The third day of Minor Cold this year is the Laba Festival, which falls on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the traditional Chinese calendar, and is known for the tradition of eating Laba porridge. This porridge is made by simmering rice, beans, peanuts, red dates, longans, raisins and other ingredients together, and then sweetening it with sugar. Enjoying a bowl of Laba porridge not only warms the body but also evokes deep familial affection, nostalgia, and the festive joy of the approaching New Year.

Although the weather remains cold, flowers such as plum blossoms, camellias, and daffodils begin to bloom even in the harshest winters, heralding the arrival of spring.

As a Chinese folk song goes: "Minor Cold, Major Cold, another year has passed." As we look forward to spring, why not enjoy a warm bowl of Laba porridge, place a flowerpot of daffodils on the table, and decorate your home to greet the coming Chinese New Year with a fresh and joyful start?