大雪，顾名思义，雪量大。古人云：“大者，盛也，至此而雪盛也”。到了这个时段，雪往往下得更大、范围也广，故名大雪。今年的大雪始于12月7日。

冰凌、河封、腊梅开，大雪至。腊梅的花期在12月-3月，大雪时节初期开始盛开。腊梅花开之日多是瑞雪飞扬，欲赏腊梅，待雪后，踏雪而至，故又名雪梅。滑冰是冬季流行的游戏之一，古时称冰戏。北方严寒，河流冻得坚实，滑冰最为流行。清代乾隆帝和慈禧太后就常在北海漪澜堂观赏冰戏，《御制太液池冰嬉诗集》和《御制冰图》等多数作品记录了这项活动。

每年11月至次年2月，西北、东北以及长江流域先后会有雾凇出现，成为冬日里靓丽的一道风景线。雾凇是低温时空气中水汽直接凝华，或过冷雾滴直接冻结在物体上的乳白色水晶沉积物。

大雪之后气温逐渐变冷，屋里屋外都要十分注意保暖。鲁北民间则有“碌碡顶了门，光喝红黏粥”的说法，意思是百姓在天冷后不再串门，只在家喝暖乎乎的红薯粥度日。

大雪之际吃用萝卜加工成的萝卜圆子是多年来一直风靡南京的习俗。萝卜丸子是一道很有特色的金陵小吃，旧时在菜场或街头都有卖，热腾腾的丸子盛在碗中，在撒些蒜花，清香无比。

Major Snow

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Major snow, the 21st solar term, signals the arrival of snow in large quantities. Major snow begins on Dec 7 this year.

Wintersweet usually blossoms in mid-to-late-December in southern China. Wintersweet originated in China and is highly appreciated in Chinese culture for its endurance in severe winters. With pine and bamboo, it is referred to as one of the Three Friends of the Winter.

Water freezes firmly in North China, creating a perfect spot to enjoy skating. Skating was referred to as “ice play” in ancient China. Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi have been pictured watching people skate in many famed paintings.

Rime starts to appear in North China and the Yangtze river basin from November to February. Rime is formed when water vapor from rivers meet the cold air, creating a spectacular scene of white rarely seen elsewhere.

A bowl of porridge can warm up both the body and the soul in the cold harsh winter. In northern part of Shandong province, people often eat sweet potato porridge on the day of major snow.

A saying in China goes: “ Radish in winter does more good to the body than ginseng”. Radish meat balls have always been a popular street snack in Nanjing, Jiangsu province in the winter months.（中英文+书法 ASP公司 程成）