Lidong Season – Beginning of Winter

The season of “Beginning of Winter” 立冬 is the first winter season. Maintaining health during this season determines the state of the body throughout the winter to a large extent. According to traditional Chinese beliefs, winter is “the termination, the end,” meaning the end of one more life cycle. All the living fall asleep; they don't move and don't grow. At the same time, this is the beginning of a long process of preparing for a new cycle, which will certainly begin in spring.   

The Lidong season is the nineteenth of the 24 seasons of the Chinese calendar. It is the first winter month and the first winter season, occurring annually between November 7-9 and corresponding to the first half of the Pig month. With the end of this season, around November 22-23, comes the Xiaoxue season, or "Lesser Snow". Winter is gradually approaching, but there is still time to enjoy the last tenderness of autumn.

CLIMATE

The nineteenth minor season of the Chinese agricultural calendar is the Beginning of Winter, which is accompanied by cold air and a general drop in temperature. Water freezes, the earth cracks, plants wither, and insects hibernate.

TRADITIONS

In ancient Chinese agricultural society, people worked all year round, and only after harvesting in the fall could they reward themselves and rest. The day of the beginning of the Lidong season is not only the time when villagers begin to rest, but also an important holiday when the Chinese worship their ancestors.

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Since the Lidong season falls on the transition from autumn to winter, in northern China it is customary to eat "jiaozi" (Chinese: 饺子) - Chinese dumplings stuffed with meat and vegetables (most often cabbage), their name is homonymous with the word "to pass" (交), and they, accordingly, symbolize the transition from one season to another, in this case — to winter.

In modern tradition, Lidong is considered "walrus day": in the north, it has become fashionable to meet the Beginning of Winter by swimming in icy water. This action has become especially popular in the Heilongjiang province bordering Russia and its administrative center Harbin.

HEALTH

Winter is a period of rest, a period of accumulation of vital forces. Maintaining health at this time largely determines the state of the body throughout the winter.

With the onset of the Lidong season, the yang energy is covered, and the maximum activation of yin occurs. Although a person, like insects or some animals, does not hibernate, his lifestyle requires certain changes with the onset of winter.

You should go to bed earlier and get up late, avoid the cold and strive for warmth. It is necessary to remain calm, avoid emotional disorders. You should start active activities only after sunrise. All this contributes to the accumulation and strengthening of Yang

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Doctors of traditional Chinese medicine also recommend that people who are predisposed to cardiovascular diseases carefully take care of the warmth of their head and neck, hands and feet in winter. Before going to bed, you can steam your feet in warm water, but not more than 15-20 minutes, and then vigorously massage the soles. This will not only help to warm up, but also prevent colds and even strengthen kidney function. It is recommended to avoid walking in the wind.

It is advised to spend more time indoors than outdoors. But this does mean to avoid short walks.

DIET

High-calorie foods and vegetables collected in the fall, such as cabbage, radish, carrots, and pumpkin, will be useful for winter nutrition.

The Fire element is very weak in winter, and it is best to avoid raw foods and reduce the consumption of foods with cool properties. Hot foods warm the body, create Yang and move Qi: ginger, garlic, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, spiced teas, goat milk, walnuts, hot soups with meat broth, and dumplings.

It’s healthy to eat lard, sauerkraut, and soups with sour cabbage at this time of year. Beans, millet, rice, and corn porridge are very good. Eating these products in cold weather is a kind of prevention of colds.