The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Winter, the 19th solar term of the year, begins this year on Nov 8 and ends on Nov 21.

中国传统二十四节气的第19个节气是立冬，今年的立冬从11月8日开始，11月21日结束。

Start of Winter is the first solar term of winter, which means winter is coming and crops harvested in autumn should be stored up.

立冬是冬季的第一个节气，意味着冬天来临，秋天收获的粮食应该储存起来了。

Here are eight things you should know about Start of Winter.

一起来了解一下关于立冬的8个小常识。

Beginning of winter or not

立冬标志着冬季的开始？未必。

In ancient times, the Chinese people took the Start of Winter to be the beginning of the winter. However in fact, the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology. The climate every year is different, so the beginning of winter could be quite different. And with the vast territory of China, winter of every area doesn’t begin at the same time.

在古代，中国人认为立冬节气代表着冬季的开始。事实上，从气象学上看，立冬这天不一定就是冬季的开始。每年的气候都不一样，因此冬季开始的时间也大不相同。中国的国土这么辽阔，各个地区的冬季也不是在同一时间来临。

Welcoming the winter in ancient times

古人迎接冬天的方式

The four beginnings of the seasons were important festivals in ancient times. Before the Start of Winter, the ancient emperor would take a shower and have no more meat. On that day, the emperor would lead his officials to the suburbs and perform the ceremony of "welcoming the winter."

四季的开始在古代都是重要的节日。在立冬前，古代帝王会沐浴斋戒。立冬那天，皇帝会率领官员到郊区举办迎冬仪式。

Eating dumplings

吃饺子