The first day of Major Snow usually comes around December 7, when the sun reaches 255 degrees of longitude. It means that the snow becomes heavy. During this period, the snow begins to accumulate on the ground. In the northern area of China, the natural scenery is “ice blockading for hundreds miles and snow flying through thousands miles,” and in the south, the snowflakes fly and the world turns white. During Major Snow, the snow in the north may last a whole day, breaking the branches and blocking the road. About the snow, a proverb goes “A timely snow promises a good harvest.” As the snow covers the ground, the pests living through the winter will be killed by the low temperature.

During Major Snow, the average temperature of the northeast and northwest areas will drop to 10 degrees Celsius below zero, and it will be consistently less than 10 degree Celsius in the Reaches of Yellow River and North China. In areas where the cold air meets the warm air, there will be heavy snow, or even blizzards. Then comes the Frozen Phenomenon. As the old saying goes, “after the Major Snow and the Winter Solstice, the basket can be used to hold water.” If there is no Frozen Phenomenon, then the waterfall is rich in the late winter.

“Major Snow” indicates the start time and the level of the heavy snow. Like Minor Snow, Rain Water, and Grain Rain, Major Snow is a solar term reflecting the waterfall directly.