(Minghui.org) “Purple vines bearing yellow flowers, looking delicate amidst the cold dew” is a line in a poem by Wang Changling, a Tang dynasty poet. He is saying that late autumn embraces the arrival of the Cold Dew season, a time when the dew gradually turns to frost and indicates that the weather in most parts of China will turn cold.
Cold Dew is the 17th solar term out of 24 and the 5th phase in autumn, as the sun reaches 195 degrees of the ecliptic longitude between October 8 and 10 in the Gregorian calendar. In 2024, Cold Dew began on October 8.
According to The Almanac: “When the dipper points to the south, the Cold Dew solar term arrives, and the dew is cold and about to freeze, hence the name ‘Cold Dew.’”
This is the time when the word “cold” first appears in the 24 solar terms, though it is not yet as cold as winter. The temperature is lower than when “White Dew” appears. There is more dew at this time, and the crystal dew on the ground at night will soon turn to frost, giving people a feeling of chill before winter arrives.
Dew moistens all things and is very pleasing to behold. (Photo by a Falun Gong practitioner in Switzerland)
In northern China, it is already late autumn, with occasional morning frost. In the south, the autumn colors are also more prominent, and the weather is cooler and drier. The Double Ninth Festival (celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar) in 2024 fell on October 11, a time to “appreciate the fragrant grass in the distance” (a line from a poem by Tang dynasty poet Wei Yingwu), and to take the elderly to an elevated location to enjoy the autumn scenery.
Features of Cold Dew: Autumn Is in Full Swing, and September Begins
“The cool breeze blows, the cold dew freezes” is a line in a poem by Bai Juyi, a poet in the Tang dynasty. Cold Dew is the point at which the temperature changes from cool to cold. Earlier, the weather was cool, but it became fairly cold after the Cold Dew. The next solar term is “Frost’s Descent,” which indicates that the temperature continues to drop, and late autumn is rapidly sliding into winter.
Three Phases of Cold Dew
The three time periods of Cold Dew are vividly depicted in a Tang poem by Yuan Zhen:
The Cold Dew signals the late autumn,In the morning, I see chrysanthemums gradually turning yellow.The wind sweeps leaves from thousands of houses, and geese follow the sun for thousands of miles.It feels sad that migratory birds disappear and clams turn up and the fields are harvested for fear of early frost.I know the aspirations of pine and cypress, as they are green in winter and summer.
The vivid descriptions in the poem make people feel as if they are experiencing the seasonal changes themselves.
In phase one, wild geese arrive by the shore because, starting in mid-autumn, they begin flying south. By late autumn, the last flocks form a v-shape in the sky as they fly southward.
In phase two, around the fifth day of the Cold Dew, in cold, late autumn, migratory birds are nowhere to be seen. When ancient people saw clams suddenly appear by the seaside, they thought they were transformed from birds because the stripes and colors of the clams resembled those of birds,
The third phase begins when yellow chrysanthemums start to bloom: Around the tenth day of Cold Dew, yellow chrysanthemums are in full bloom. The Book of Rites says: “In the late autumn month, chrysanthemums bear yellow flowers.”
Scholar Moving Chrysanthemums, a painting by Zhuang Yuan from the Qing Dynasty, in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei
Jiujiangfeng, the Nine Descending Winds
There is a saying, “September brings nine descending winds, no place to hide for those with ugly bald heads.” The Taiwan County Chronicles,compiled by Chen Wenda during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty says: “In September, the north wind is biting, and lasts for days and months, hence the name ‘the nine descending winds.’” During the Cold Dew season, the northeast monsoon intensifies in northern Taiwan. The strong north winds blow off the hats that cover men’s bald heads.
The nine descending winds are sharp and intense. Despite the cold wind, persimmons are in season during the Cold Dew season in the Beipu, Xinpu, and Guanxi areas of Hsinchu County in northern Taiwan. People dry persimmons and make persimmon cakes at this time. The nine descending winds help greatly in this process.
Eating persimmons in autumn benefits the heart. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, persimmons are cold in nature and sweet in taste, which helps moisten the lungs and relieve coughs.
There are sayings like “After eating the Cold Dew meal, men in thin clothes are rarely seen” and “Don’t expose your feet during the Cold Dew.” The older generation often says: “Cold starts from the feet,” so after the Cold Dew, one should pay attention to keeping warm, especially the legs.
Folk Customs in the Cold Dew Season
Appreciate Autumn Scenery from a High Vantage Point
The Cold Dew is a good time to climb to higher elevations and enjoy the autumn scenery. As the saying goes: “Climbing high relieves autumn depression.” Because Cold Dew is close to the Double Ninth Festival, this custom gradually shifted to become part of the Double Ninth Festival. The custom originated in the Han Dynasty, and at the beginning, it was meant to ward off evil spirits.
Based on the changes of yin and yang, the ancient Chinese believed that “mountains are yang and rivers are yin, high places are yang and low places are yin.” Therefore, high places are where yang is most abundant, and climbing to a higher elevation in autumn can gather yang energy. From Western medicine’s point of view, climbing can increase lung capacity and prevent colds. In short, at this time of year, climbing to a high spot to enjoy the scenery has become an activity to relieve autumn melancholy and relax the body and mind.
Appreciating Chrysanthemums
The ninth month of the lunar calendar, when the Cold Dew arrives, is also known as the Chrysanthemum Month, a season when chrysanthemums bloom. Unlike most flowers that bloom in spring and summer, chrysanthemums are in full bloom when there is an abundance of frost and dew. Chrysanthemum flowers represent the Cold Dew season and can be seen everywhere. People appreciate chrysanthemums and drink chrysanthemum tea and chrysanthemum wine, which are typical activities throughout this season.
In Xixi Cong yu, written by Song Yaokuan, a scholar in the Song Dynasty, chrysanthemums are referred to as “guests of longevity,” meaning that these flowers are cherished guests that symbolize a long and good life. The Double Ninth Festival is the time when chrysanthemums are in full bloom. People climb mountains during the festival to increase their longevity, so it is also called the “Chrysanthemum Festival.”
“Chrysanthemums,” a painting by Yun Shouping from the Qing Dynasty (public domain)
Flower Cakes and Sesame Seeds
Because the Cold Dew and the Double Ninth Festival are close to each other, there is a custom of eating flower cakes after reaching a high place. Because “high” and “cake” are homophones in Chinese, eating flower cakes indicates “moving up step by step.”
The ancients said: “Autumn is dry, so it is appropriate to eat sesame seeds to moisten the dryness.” As the weather gets dry and cold, there is a folk custom of “eating sesame seeds during the Cold Dew.” Sesame seeds are sweet and mild, and are highly regarded in medical monographs such as Shennong’s Classics of Herbal Medicine and Compendium of Materia Medica. They are said to benefit the liver and kidneys, moisten the five internal organs, lower blood pressure, relieve asthma and coughs, moisturize the skin and delay aging, and also moisturize the intestines and promote bowel movements. In Chinese medicine, sesame seeds are often used to improve symptoms such as dizziness, weakness, gray hair, and constipation.
Cold Dew Is a Time for Health Improvement
People in ancient China emphasized the harmony between man and nature, believing that man is an integral part of nature and that the seasonal climate changes throughout the year also impact the physiological rhythms of the human body. Therefore, man’s diet and daily routine should conform to the natural law of seasonal changes.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the most prominent feature of the climate in southern China during the Cold Dew period is the prevalence of low humidity, which is most likely to affect the lungs and stomach. During this time, people’s sweat evaporates quickly, so they often experience dry skin, increased wrinkles, dry mouth and throat, dry cough with little phlegm, and even hair loss and constipation. Therefore, health preservation focuses on nourishing yin and avoiding dryness, moistening the lungs, and nourishing the stomach.
The diet should include sour, sweet, and moist foods, and be less spicy because spicy foods make one sweat. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the sour and sweet of the five flavors can transform yin and produce body fluids; more soft and moist foods such as porridge, glutinous rice, sesame seeds, carrots, white fungus, lotus seeds, yam, lotus root, chrysanthemum, and crab are good foods to eat; chicken, duck, beef, pork liver, fish, shrimp, jujube, yam, etc. can be added to strengthen the body; chilies, ginger, onions, and garlic should be consumed infrequently because they can easily damage the functioning of the internal organs.
During the Cold Dew season, winds blow and leaves fall. The bleak late autumn scene often makes people feel sad and less ambitious, resulting in depression, mental fatigue, loss of appetite, and lack of energy, which, in turn, affect their daily lives. At this time of year, one may pay more attention to rest and preserving one’s health, reducing strenuous activities, and sleeping more.
Because people believe that “climbing high relieves autumn gloom,” they may go outdoors where there is plenty of sunshine, climb mountains, chat with friends on a patch of grass, or do some gentle exercises. These activities relax the body and mind and help cultivate an optimistic and open-minded attitude.
“The Cold Dew,” a painting by Zhang Ruoai from the Qing Dynasty, is in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
Paying Respect to the Elderly
Many folk activities take place during the Double Ninth Festival, such as avoiding evil and warding off disasters, climbing to high places to look far into the distance, appreciating chrysanthemums, and planting dogwood. These activities are a way of respecting heaven and earth and wishing the elderly peace and health. Respecting the virtuous and the elderly is a moral value in China. There is a saying: “Lambs kneel to suckle their mothers to show their gratitude, and crows repay their parents by feeding them in their old age,” meaning that filial piety is a natural duty that we should all practice.
However, such filial duty is often neglected in today’s society. Some people even go to court to avoid supporting the elderly. Laws cannot change people’s hearts.
It is gratifying that there are still kindhearted people in today’s world who exhibit extraordinary filial piety in their daily lives. Minghui.org has published many such stories. We sincerely wish you and your family happiness and joy.
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Category: Traditional Culture
