Dahan is the last of the twenty-four solar terms, and the sixth of winter’s chapters, usually arriving between January 20th and 21st. “Da” (大) means great or extreme. “Han” (寒) means cold. Together, Dahan means: the bitter cold has reached its absolute peak — heaven and earth unleash their most fierce power at this moment. Yet at the very same time, when extremes meet, they reverse — at the peak of cold, warmth is born, and the footsteps of spring are already drawing near.
What Does “Dahan” Mean?
The ancient text Yueling Qishier Hou Jijie explains: “Dahan falls in the middle of the twelfth month. The bitter cold has reached its extreme — hence the name ‘Major Cold.'” In other words, by the middle of the twelfth lunar month, the cold has arrived at its utmost intensity, and so this solar term is called Major Cold.
Dahan is the endpoint of the twenty-four solar terms‘ great cycle — and simultaneously the starting point of a new one. After Dahan comes Lichun, the Beginning of Spring. The story of winter is about to close; the chapter of spring is about to begin. Dahan, therefore, is not merely a solar term about cold — it is a solar term about farewell and welcome.
Nature’s Signals: The Three Pentads of Dahan
Ancient Chinese observers divided Dahan into three five-day periods to capture the changes unfolding in nature as the cold reaches its peak and warmth begins its quiet return:
- First Pentad: Hens Begin to Hatch Chicks. Mother hens start brooding their eggs. As yang energy gradually grows during Dahan, the hens sense the shift and begin sitting on their nests. Amid the stillness of deep winter, the nurturing of new life is the warmest signal of all — spring truly is not far away.
- Second Pentad: Birds of Prey Hunt with Fierce Swiftness. Raptors such as hawks and falcons grow more aggressive and swift in their hunting. “Zheng niao” (征鸟) refers to these birds of prey. With the land frozen and food scarce, raptors must hunt with greater ferocity and speed to survive. This is life’s tenacious struggle against the harshest conditions — and winter’s final display of its fierce power.
- Third Pentad: Ice Grows Thick to the Center of Lakes. The ice on lakes and rivers thickens all the way to their deepest centers. During Dahan, temperatures plunge to their lowest point, and the frozen surface extends so thickly that even the heart of the lake is sealed in solid ice. This is cold’s final summit — and nature’s deepest silence. Yet after silence comes awakening.
Climate Characteristics of Dahan
The most striking feature of Dahan is that cold reaches its absolute extreme. Cold air masses from Siberia remain powerful, and in northern China, the land is frozen solid and all things lie desolate. In the northeast, north China, and the northwest, the days around Dahan are bone-chilling — water freezes the instant it spills, the wind cuts like a blade, and the earth stretches out in a vast, pale stillness.
In southern China, though temperatures are not as extreme as in the north, the damp cold is equally difficult to endure. Without central heating, the temperature indoors barely differs from outdoors — the chill seems to seep through every crack and crevice. A folk saying captures it vividly: “Major Cold, Minor Cold — frozen into a ball.”
It is worth noting that although Dahan is called “major,” in many regions the actual temperature is often not as cold as during Minor Cold (Xiaohan). This is because Dahan falls during the “Fourth Nine” and “Fifth Nine,” when yang energy has already begun its slow recovery, while Xiaohan falls during the “Third Nine,” which is traditionally the coldest stretch of the year. This apparent mismatch between name and reality reflects the ancients’ wisdom in naming the solar terms — they were tracking the overall trajectory of cold, not the temperature at any single moment.
Customs Steeped in Warmth and Anticipation
As Dahan arrives, the festive spirit reaches its peak, and people make their final preparations for the New Year.
1. The Wei Ya Feast
In Fujian, Taiwan, and other regions, the period around Dahan includes the tradition of “Wei Ya” (尾牙), the year-end feast. “Ya” (牙) refers to the ritual of offering sacrifices to the Earth God. There are two such rituals each year — “Tou Ya” (头牙, the first) and “Wei Ya” (尾牙, the last). Wei Ya falls on the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month and is the year’s final ceremony honoring the Earth God — a time to give thanks for a year of protection and to reward the hard work of employees. At the Wei Ya banquet, employers host their workers, and everyone gathers to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new.
2. Eating Glutinous Rice
In Guangdong and other regions, eating glutinous rice is a Dahan tradition. On these frozen days, glutinous rice — warm in nature and sweet in flavor — is believed to nourish the spleen and stomach, replenish qi, and enrich the blood. A steaming bowl of glutinous rice topped with cured meat, Chinese sausage, and roasted peanuts warms not only the stomach but also the heart.
3. Preparing New Year Goods
Dahan is the overture to the Spring Festival, and people make their final preparations for the celebration. In the countryside, families slaughter pigs, cure meats, stuff sausages, and steam rice cakes. In towns and cities, people shop for spring couplets, New Year paintings, candies, sunflower seeds, firecrackers, and all the other essentials of celebration. During Dahan, the festive atmosphere is at its thickest — every corner overflows with the joy of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.
4. Cleaning Away the Old, Decorating for the New
Around Dahan, every household begins its thorough year-end cleaning — sweeping away the dust of the past year to make room for the new. A folk saying reminds people: “On the twenty-fourth of the twelfth month, dust the house clean.” This act of cleaning is more than mere housekeeping — it is a ritual of renewal. Sweeping away the weariness and troubles of the old year, people prepare to face the new year with a fresh spirit and a clean home.
Conclusion
Dahan is the endpoint of the twenty-four solar terms‘ great cycle — and the overture to spring. It marks the extreme of cold, yet foretells the return of warmth. It is the harshest stretch of the year — and at the same time, the season when the festive spirit is richest and people’s hearts are warmest.
On these cold days, a bowl of glutinous rice, a Wei Ya feast, a thorough cleaning of the home — these seemingly ordinary acts all carry people’s hopes for the new year and their love of life.
Dahan teaches us: the coldest moment is precisely the moment closest to spring. Just as the hens have already begun to hatch their young, the raptors still hunt with fierce determination, and currents stir beneath the ice — life never stops moving forward. And the simplest human feelings — gratitude, reunion, anticipation — are the warmest force for crossing through winter and welcoming spring.
After Dahan comes Lichun. The story of winter is about to close; the chapter of spring is about to begin. Let us carry forward this year’s harvest and reflections, and with the warmest spirit, welcome the arrival of a brand new year.
There are no comments yet, come and comment~