Minor Snow: A forerunner of winter chills

A cold front has recently swept across China, driving out the lingering mildness of the
previous season while kicking off the second solar term of the winter.

Photo/CGTN

The Xiaoxue, or Minor Snow in English, started on Wednesday, in the wake of a new round of
temperature plummeting from seven to 20 degrees Celsius.

It is the 20th of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar, which usually refers to the period of time from November 22 to December 7. During this time, the northwest wind usually frequents the Chinese territory, with the temperature of many areas falling below zero.

Frozen earth, a sign of a fruitful coming year

Photo/CGTN

An ancient Chinese saying goes like “Minor Snow freezes the earth and Major Snow freezes the river.” During this time, the earth in northeast China would usually be frozen to the depth of at least 10 centimeters, which makes farm work almost impossible.However, it does not mean that the freezing cold is not welcomed. The ancient Chinese believe that snowy weather of the Minor Snow signifies a big harvest in the coming year,
and they actually had scientific support.

The snowy weather is usually the prelude of abundant rainfalls for the next year, while the snow will kill some harmful insects and bacteria and at the same time accelerate the organic decomposition – both are necessities for fertilizing the fields.

Orchard farmers will trim their trees during the time, while in most areas of China, people have the tradition of piling up Chinese cabbages in storage for the coming winter. It is one of the favorite vegetables of the Chinese people.

Keep out the coldness and keep in the warmth

Photo/CGTN

During the agrarian age, people would usually be held indoors by the whistling wind at this time of year. But even though, it is highly recommended by doctors to keep ventilation, especially when the heating system in the North has started to work.

The Chinese medicines also suggested that the indoor temperature should be kept below 20 degrees Celsius, and it is time to turn on the humidifiers.

It is also when the South started their long-standing discussion about whether they should have the same heating systems like the North since it is time they start to prevent chilblains from their hands and feet.

Store food for the coming winter

Photo/CGTN

It seems the Chinese just never let go of any chance to enjoy delicious food. In the north, people eat hotpot and mutton, which are believed warm and nutritious. Besides, sitting around the steaming pots with family and friends could easily create a warm atmosphere.

In many areas of China, people start to make cured meat during this time of year. Slice the meat into pieces and dry them in the wind, the meat would be preserved for a long time. Before the refrigerator was invented, this measure could help to diversify the dinner tables for the coming holidays.

It is out of the same reason that the coastal residents to dry fishes to get prepared for the winter.

Photo/CGTN

In some southern provinces, people have the tradition of eating "Ci Ba", a kind of dessert made of sticky rice. In the past, people use the dessert as an offering to the god of cow.

Though delicious, it is better not to eat much, for they could not be easily digested.The winter is in dominance, but it does not necessarily mean that people should be confined at home. A little bit sports could be more beneficial to health than any nutrition.

MILAN (AP) — Crossover tenor Andrea Bocelli will be among the headline performers for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Feb. 6, joining the previously announced pop diva Mariah Carey, organizers said Sunday.

The opening ceremony will be centered in Milan’s landmark San Siro soccer stadium, featuring the Parade of Athletes and entertainment over the course of the three-hour spectacle that is expected to be the most widely viewed moment of the Games.

Reflecting the Milan Cortina Games' status as the most spread-out Olympics in history, elements of the opening ceremony will also be conducted in three other locations, allowing athletes from all far-flung disciplines to participate. Moments will be beamed to the televised audience from Cortina in the heart of the Dolomite mountains, Livigno in the Italian Alps as well as Predazzo in the autonomous province of Trento.

The ceremony will also include a tribute to the late Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died in September at the age of 91. Armani has long designed the Italian team’s Olympic uniforms, and his legacy as one of the founders of Italian ready-to-wear is tightly tied to Milan, where he left his mark with the Armani theater, Silos museum and sponsorship of the EA7 Emporio Armani Milano basketball team.

Bocelli, a classically trained singer whose recordings include classical and pop music, has performed for the coronation of King Charles III and for the 75th anniversary of the Italian Constitution in Rome. In a career-spanning release titled “Duets” (30th Anniversary ), Bocelli sings in Italian, English, French and Spanish, collaborating with musicians ranging from Karol G to Chris Stapleton.

He will appear at the Olympic ceremony during a break from a world tour, according to his official calendar, traveling the next day to perform at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on Feb. 7, followed by six other U.S. dates.

Bocelli’s performance “will constitute one of the most iconic moments of the event, uniting the spectacle with the essence of Olympic values,’’ organizers said in a statement, adding that Bocelli’s inclusion will “contribute a contemporary and global tone to the narrative.’’

Details about the ceremony, which is being produced by Marco Balich, a veteran of more than a dozen Olympic ceremonies, have been trickling out over recent months.

Carey, the first international star named to perform at San Siro, adds some American pop-star pedigree to the opening event. The six-time Grammy award winner announced her participation in an Instagram post saying, “Ci vediamo a Milano,’’ Italian for “See you in Milan.”

Italian actors Sabrina Impacciatore, who appeared in the second season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” and Matilde De Angelis, who starred in the Netflix series “The Law According to Lydia Poet,’’ will also participate in the opening ceremony, organizers have announced.

A crowd of 60,000 spectators is expected with millions more watching on television.

Internationally acclaimed ballet star Roberto Bolle will headline the closing ceremony, which is slated for Verona’s ancient Roman Arena on Feb. 22.

FILE - Singer Andrea Bocelli performs during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)