小寒料峭，一番春意换年芳。

Xiǎo hán liào qiào，yī fān chūn yì huàn nián fāng

The Xiaohan chill comes carried on the wind, readying itself to bring the fragrance of spring to the world.

As the second-to-last of the 24 solar terms, Lesser Cold marks the beginning of the final month of winter. The temperatures during Lesser and Greater Cold are the lowest of the year.

There are three sure signs that Lesser Cold is upon the land: wild geese fly north, the magpies start to build their nests and the pheasants start to crow. All this activity, this urge to breed, is said to be the result of rising Yang qi as dark days slowly turn brighter.

来日绮窗前，寒梅著花未。

lái rì qǐ chuāng qián , hán méi zhù huā wèi

Tomorrow is at the window, but the mume tree has yet to bloom.

Though the weather is chilly, it carries the promise of spring. Wintersweet breaks into flower; plum buds swell fit to burst. Camellias and daffodils appear like magic. People seek plum blossom in the snow to understand the meaning of:

不经一番寒彻骨，怎得梅花扑鼻香？

bù jīng yī fān hán chè gǔ , zěn dé méi huā pū bí xiāng

One who has never tasted bitter, does not know sweet.

The last lunar month that begins with Xiaohan is known as the “La Month”. There are two main means about “La”: one is sacrifice and the other is preserved meat. “La Month” is a good time for making preserved meat; meanwhile, people will hold an ceremony to worship the ancestors and the Gods. And on the eighth day of the month, people eat LaBa congee for praying and celebrating.

During Lesser Cold, preparations are in full swing for Spring Festival, which is just around the corner. People start stocking on goods such as entranceway decorations, paper-cuts and fireworks.

Let’s catch the tail of winter and embrace the hope of spring. As the British romantic poet Shelly said: If winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

小寒

“小寒料峭，一番春意换年芳。”小寒，二十四节气中的第23个，标志着季冬时节的开始。小寒至大寒是一年中最为寒冷的时节.

小寒期间大雁飞回北方，喜鹊开始筑巢迎春，雉鸡也开始啼叫求偶，共赴春天。古人认为小寒期间，阳气松动，动物们也随之孕育繁殖的意愿。

“来日绮窗前，寒梅著花未。”小寒时节，天气虽寒，但新春已在其中孕育。腊梅开花，梅花待放，山茶和水仙也立于枝头。人们踏雪寻梅，体味其中道理——“不经一番寒彻骨，怎得梅花扑鼻香？”

小寒是“腊月”的节气。关于“腊”有两种说法：一是“祭祀”，二是“干肉”。人们会在此月进行“腊祭”，以表达对祖先怀念和神明的敬重。同时“腊月”也是制作“腊肉”的好时节。腊八当天，人们会喝腊八粥进行祈祷和庆祝。此外，小寒时节年味渐浓，人们忙着写春联、剪窗花、买烟花等为春节做着准备。

抓住冬的尾巴，迎接春的希望。正如英国浪漫主义诗人雪莱所写，“冬天来了，春天还会远吗？”