All 24 solar terms · 24/24
Major Cold 大寒 · Dàhán
The last term of the cycle, as the New Year approaches. Households clean the house thoroughly (扫尘) and prepare New Year food; in Fujian and Taiwan the year-end banquet 尾牙 falls in this period.
- Longitude of the Sun300°
- Jie / ZhongqiZhongqi (中气), a principal term: it fixes the months of the lunar calendar
- Sekki大寒 daikan
Major Cold: when it begins, 2026 to 2031
| 2026 | 20 January 2026, 09:45 | 20 January, 01:45 UTC |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 20 January 2027, 15:30 | 20 January, 07:30 UTC |
| 2028 | 20 January 2028, 21:22 | 20 January, 13:22 UTC |
| 2029 | 20 January 2029, 03:01 | 19 January, 19:01 UTC |
| 2030 | 20 January 2030, 08:54 | 20 January, 00:54 UTC |
| 2031 | 20 January 2031, 14:48 | 20 January, 06:48 UTC |
Its three kō in Japan
- 款冬華 fuki no hana saku: Butterburs bud · 20 January 2027
- 水沢腹堅 sawamizu kōri tsumeru: Ice thickens on the streams · 25 January 2027
- 鶏始乳 niwatori hajimete toya ni tsuku: Hens start to sit on their nests · 30 January 2027
Calculated from the Sun's apparent position (PyEphem), to about a minute. Names, meanings and customs after the Hong Kong Observatory, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and UNESCO.