Autumn is here, today is the Cold Dew Festival

Today, we usher in the fifth solar term of autumn - Cold Dew.

Cold Dew is also the seventeenth solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, indicating the official end of the autumn season.

The Dipper points to Xin; the sun reaches 195° of the ecliptic longitude; the solar term occurs between October 7th and 9th of the Gregorian calendar every year.

From the perspective of climate characteristics, during the Cold Dew season, most areas in the north have entered autumn, the northeast has entered late autumn, some areas in the northwest have entered or are about to enter winter, and the autumn atmosphere in the south is also gradually deepening.

Cold Dew: Three Signs

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Wild geese arrive as guests : After the Cold Dew solar term, wild geese have begun to fly south during the White Dew solar term. This is the last batch, and the ancients called the latecomers "guests."

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Sparrows entering the water turn into clams : Five days later, "sparrows entering the water turn into clams." Birds entering the sea turn into clams, and flying creatures turn into submerged creatures. This is an ancient people's serious statement about feeling the cold wind.

The chrysanthemum has yellow flowers : It means that when the Cold Dew is about to end, the chrysanthemums all over the mountains and fields seem to have made an appointment to bloom overnight in the cold, adding a touch of vitality to the bleak and desolate late autumn.

Cold Dew·Customs

Climb

The custom of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival has a long history. As the Double Ninth Festival falls around the Cold Dew solar term, the pleasant climate during the Cold Dew solar term is very suitable for climbing mountains. Gradually, the custom of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival has also become a custom of the Cold Dew solar term. Climbing means "progress step by step" and "longevity".

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Viewing red leaves

Visiting Xiangshan Mountain to enjoy the red leaves during the Cold Dew season has long been a traditional custom for Beijing residents and a highlight of their autumn outings. The continuous drop in temperature after the Cold Dew season has turned the maple leaves red. The red leaves on the mountain in the golden autumn are as beautiful as rosy clouds and picturesque.

Autumn fishing

In southern my country, the Cold Dew solar term, when the heat has subsided and the sun is warm, is a good time to travel, and people go out to enjoy flowers, eat crabs or go fishing. Because the temperature drops rapidly during the Cold Dew season, the sun can no longer penetrate deep water, and fish swim to shallow waters with higher water temperatures, so there is a saying that "fishing in the autumn is best done at the edge".

Eat sesame seeds

When Cold Dew arrives, the weather turns from cool to cold, and there is a folk custom of "eating sesame seeds during Cold Dew".

Eat flower cake

The Cold Dew solar term is usually close to the Double Ninth Festival in time, so after the ninth day of the ninth month, there is a custom of eating flower cakes. Because "high" and "cake" are homophones, the cakes for the festival are called "Double Ninth Flower Cakes", which means "progress step by step".

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Cold Dew Poetry

Ikegami

Bai Juyi

The cool breeze blows and the cold dew falls.

The orchid flowers begin to turn white when they wither, and the lotus leaves remain green when they break.

A crane perches alone on the sand, and two fireflies fly in pairs, illuminating the water.

If you are in a desolate place, you will still feel like you have just sobered up from drinking.

Sending Huaiguang back to Yangzhou after failing the imperial examination

Wei Yingwu

Those who fail the exam often feel wronged, and young people are frivolous in their hearts.

I returned to the seaside to visit my relatives and became famous as a poet like my uncle.

I bid farewell to the green mountains in the evening, and go in search of fragrant grass in the distance.

The return date should not be far away, the cold dew has wet the city.

Sitting in the morning room, I occasionally compose a poem

Zhang Jiuling

The Cold Dew clears the autumn sky, and the distant mountains come into view.

A solitary peak suddenly rises up, and wispy clouds appear one after another.

People appreciate this remote place, and birds also love the forest.

My thoughts are so far away, and I feel bound by no constraints.

I look up to the sky to thank Yi Han, and sigh at my tired feet on the road.

We have been separated for many years, and I am hesitant to go home.

If you have good leisure skills, you will not let down the music of Nanshan.

Yellowbird

Li Pin

I wanted to steal the Gaocang and gather the people in the Imperial River, but I was hesitant to cross the river because I was afraid of the autumn eyes.

The evening trees in the red palace are intruding with the chirping of orioles, and the fragrant curtains in the painted pavilion conceal the swallows' nests.

The sparse shadows are hidden in the cold dew, and the empty city is filled with hungry noises and evening smoke.

Who made me fly high in the sky without knowing why? There are nets in the dilapidated house and deserted yard.

August 19th Examination Hall Meng Chongqing

Wang Anshi

The autumn is long and endless in the empty courtyard, and the cold dew comes at dusk, making me worry about my thin clothes.

The city is already filled with the noise of people talking, and the sun has not yet reached the Fusang mountain.

The love that I cherish forever has become a dream, the jade-like color seems to make my face happy.

Knowing each other, we will no longer be separated, and we will talk and laugh leisurely under the bright moon.

Review｜Shao Lin, author of popular science on ancient folk literature

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