“Minor Cold” is the 23rd solar term of the year which begins this year on Jan. 5 and ends on Jan. 19. “Minor Cold” indicates the weather in China starts to enter the coldest days. The ground and rivers are frozen. The cold air from the north moves southward continuously.
小寒是一年中的第23个节气，今年开始于1月5日，结束于1月19日。在中国，小寒意味着气温将会进入最低时期。地面和河流都结冰了。来自北方的冷空气不断南移。
As a saying goes, the Winter Solstice is past and the Minor Cold, the Major Cold and the New year come to us one by one. During Minor Cold, people start stocking New Year goods, which include Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, paper-cuts for window decoration, fire crackers, incense and lanterns.
俗话说，冬至过去到小寒，过了小寒是大寒，过了大寒就过年。进入小寒年味渐浓，人们开始忙着写春联、剪窗花，赶集买年画、彩灯、鞭炮、香火等，陆续为春节作准备。
To prevent from the coldness, it’s better to eat food that can provide heat and energy to human’s body, for example, food with hot natures including trout, hot pepper, and food with warm nature such as glutinous rice, chives, fennel, caraway, asparagus, lamb and chicken.
为了抵御严寒，最好吃些可以为身体提供能量的食物，例如，热性食物，包括鲑鱼，辣椒，以及温性食物，诸如糯米饭，韭菜，茴香，香菜，芦笋，羊肉，鸡肉等。
