Greater Cold (大寒)

What the solar terms mean

Greater Cold usually arrives around 20 January. In 2026, 2027 and 2028 it falls on 20 January. Start of Spring (立春), the first spring term, comes next, and the 24 solar terms — the seasonal points of the traditional calendar — begin a new cycle. A folk saying puts it simply: 'Once Greater Cold is past, another year begins.'

Greater Cold falls at the year's end, close to the Lunar New Year. Many families begin the big year-end clean (大掃除), freshening the whole home to welcome the new year. In the cold weather, households often cook glutinous rice or hot soup, so the family can eat warm together.

Traditional customs in different places

People speak of 'welcoming the new year at Greater Cold'. Families put up spring couplets — red paper with lucky words — shop for festival goods, and steam new-year cake (年糕). Foods differ from place to place. In southern China and Hong Kong, people cook glutinous rice to warm themselves. Around Beijing, some eat 'cold-dispelling cake', a kind of new-year cake. In Taiwan, the year-end Weiya (尾牙) — a custom of honouring the Earth God and holding a thank-you feast for staff — often takes place at this time.