Solar Terms

Minor Cold Solar Term Food Customs: Winter Meals and Calendar Boundaries

2026年8月25日 · guan506237167

Minor Cold (Xiaohan) has no single compulsory food. It is a winter calendar marker; rice dishes, soups and nearby festival foods need to be described as local or household practices, rather than a menu followed throughout China.

What Minor Cold marks

Xiaohan is the twenty-third term, at solar longitude 285°. In the Hong Kong Observatory’s 2026 calendar it falls on 5 January, using Hong Kong time (UTC+8). The following term is Great Cold. Its name does not guarantee that it is less cold than Great Cold in a particular city or year.

Source: Hong Kong Observatory: The 24 Solar Terms; Hong Kong Observatory: 2026 calendar.

Rice with leafy greens beside radish and cabbage in an illustrated winter kitchen
AI-generated illustration of a contemporary winter meal; not evidence of a regional Xiaohan ritual.

A winter meal, not a national ritual

Rice with vegetables, a bowl of congee or a vegetable soup can be a contemporary way to mark the season. These are meal examples here, not claims that every household traditionally eats them on Xiaohan.

Keep Laba separate

Laba porridge belongs to Laba, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Xiaohan is calculated from the Sun, so the two dates must be checked separately each year. A porridge served near Xiaohan should not automatically be renamed a Xiaohan custom. Year-end preparations are often discussed alongside Xiaohan, but they do not establish a nationwide dish for the term.

Source: 12371.cn: Minor Cold customs.

Congee and cooked vegetables on an illustrated winter table
AI-generated illustration of an ordinary winter meal example, not a historical photograph.

Ingredients depend on place

Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture food education page lists citrus and strawberries in its Xiaohan discussion. That is a Taiwan example, not a January harvest list for northern China or the Southern Hemisphere. At home, identify the ingredient, where it was grown and whether it is fresh, stored or imported. Cultural descriptions of warming foods do not establish medical benefits.

Source: Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture: Minor Cold and Great Cold.

Further reading

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Minor Cold in 2026?

It is 5 January in Hong Kong time (UTC+8), at solar longitude 285°.

Is Laba porridge a fixed Minor Cold food?

No. Laba follows a lunar date, while Minor Cold follows solar longitude; check both dates for the year.

Does every region eat the same dish?

No. Local food availability and household practice differ, and this guide does not prescribe a national Xiaohan menu.

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