Greater Cold signals end of solar cycle

In the old days, there were often lines of people scrambling to buy sesame straws on the streets, as people believe in the old saying "sesame blossoms, fortunes up and high". On New Year's Eve, people sprinkle sesame straws on the road for children to crush, an auspicious token for "stepping on the year", because the pronunciation of words "crush" and "year" are homophonic in Chinese, both as sui. Folklore expert Wang Laihua says these interesting folk customs during the Greater Cold season reflect people's desire to pursue a happy life and good health in the new year, and also add rich and diverse color to China's folk festivals.

Dahan also collides with weiya ji, or the year-end dinner, a traditional annual celebration for tudigong, or the "earth god". Weiya originated from the custom of worshipping the earth god by counting ya (tooth) as one period and offering sacrifice every ya. The second day of the second lunar month is the first ya. From then on, ya will be counted on the second and 16th day of every lunar month.The 16th day of the 12th lunar month happens to be the final ya, called "tail tooth", or weiya.

Doing "tooth" means that, on these days, people must worship the earth god with various offerings on the table, so that he can enjoy the banquet. The offerings include meat (chicken, fish and pork), four fruits, among which citrus and apples are a must, and spring rolls.

On the day of weiya ji, businessmen hold a banquet, and sliced cold chicken is an indispensable dish. It is said that whomever the chicken head faces will be fired in the next year. Therefore, some bosses generally point the chicken head toward themselves, so that employees can enjoy the delicious food with peace and have a prosperous year after returning home.

"These activities collide with dahan. Their formation is not necessarily related to this solar term, but it enriches the cultural content of the Greater Cold," says An Deming, vice-chairman of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association.