小寒：窗外數九寒天 屋內暖意盈懷
小寒：窗外數九寒天 屋內暖意盈懷
Lesser Cold: Cold winter, warm feelings
小寒，二十四節氣中的第23個節氣，于每年西曆1月5—7日交節。冬至過後，冷空氣頻繁南下，氣溫持續降低，從“小寒”到“大寒”節氣這一時段的氣溫是全年最低的。冬至當天開始數，每九天為一個“九”，一直數到“九九”，天氣就暖和了。民諺：“小寒時處二三九，天寒地凍冷到抖”，這説明瞭小寒節氣的寒冷程度。
The Lesser Cold, the 23rd solar term of the 24 solar terms, falls on January 5-7 of the Gregorian Calendar every year. After the Winter Solstice, the cold air frequently goes south and the temperature continues to decrease. The temperature during the period from Lesser Cold to Great Cold solar terms is the lowest in the entire year. From the Winter Solstice, every nine days reflects a period of cold winter, and after the ninth “nine-day period”, the weather turns warm. There is a folk saying: “The Lesser Cold is between the second and third nine-day period, with bitter cold and frozen ground”, which depicts the level of coldness when the Lesser Cold comes.
根據長期以來的氣象記錄，在中國北方地區小寒節氣比大寒節氣更冷，在北方有“小寒勝大寒”一説；但對於南方大部地區，全年最低氣溫仍然會出現在大寒節氣內。
According to long-term meteorological records, the Lesser Cold is colder than the Great Cold in northern China which is why people can be heard saying, “The Lesser Cold is colder than the Great Cold” in the north of China. However, for most of the southern regions, the annual minimum temperature still falls during the Great Cold.
小寒時節，天寒地凍。雖然寒冷卻也有許多有趣的活動。“探梅”是人們在小寒時節非常喜歡的一項活動，此時正處臘月時分，臘梅盛放，非常美麗，人們往往會結伴而行去紅梅盛開的地方玩耍，賞梅觀景，十分愜意。如果遇到下雪，則更是歡呼雀躍，滑冰、打雪仗、堆雪人，很快就會全身暖和，血脈通暢。
It’s freezing weather during the Lesser Cold but there are many interesting activities for people to do. Enjoying blossoms of winter-sweet, a shrub, is one of them. At this time, it's the middle of the twelfth lunar month. People often go to areas where they can catch a glimpse of the red plum blossom. When it snows, it’s time for skating, snowball fights and snowman building, all of which will leave you feeling warm.
小寒時，年味漸濃。飲食上，北方人愛涮羊肉火鍋，窗外寒風刺骨，冰封雪裹；屋內氤氳升騰，暖意盈懷。俗語説“三九補一冬，來年無病痛”，説的就是冬令食羊肉調養身體的做法。
When the Lesser Cold arrives, the new year is just around the corner. In terms of food, northerners love mutton hotpot. The cold wind outside the window is biting and everything is covered in white; but homes exude warmth. As the saying goes, “Third Nine to supplement for a winter, there will be no pain in the coming year”, which refers to the practice of eating mutton in winter.
在南方，例如南京人則喜歡在小寒時節吃“菜飯”；廣州傳統則是小寒早上吃糯米飯。小寒過後，人們就開始為春節做準備，萬家燈火，歡聲笑語，窗外飄雪，屋內飄香。家人的團聚驅散了寒涼，更添了暖意。
In the south, people in Nanjing favor "vegetable rice" in the cold season; in Guangzhou, it is traditional to eat glutinous rice in the morning. After Lesser Cold, people began to prepare for the Spring Festival, lights, laughter and snow outside and fragrance inside. Family reunions drive out the chill and and warm the air at home.
