What day is the beginning of winter in 2022?

According to the Sino-Vietnamese dictionary, "lập" means to establish, mark, or begin, while "đông" refers to winter in the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Simply put, Lập đông (the beginning of winter) is the start of winter. This is one of the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar each year.

What day is the beginning of winter in 2022?

The concept of solar terms is used in the calendars of ancient Eastern civilizations such as Vietnam, China, Japan, and Korea. The 24 solar terms are 24 special points on the Earth's orbit around the Sun, including:

Spring includes the solar terms: Beginning of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Qingming Festival, and Grain Rain.

Summer includes the solar terms: Beginning of Summer, Minor Fullness, Grain Planting, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, and Major Heat.

Autumn includes the seasons: Beginning of Autumn, End of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, and Frost Descent.

Winter is characterized by the periods of Beginning of Winter, Minor Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold, and Major Cold.

Each solar term begins on relatively fixed dates according to the Gregorian calendar. Tracking these solar terms helps people optimize their farming and livestock raising according to the seasons. In agricultural culture, many rituals and ceremonies are performed on the beginnings of spring, summer, and autumn, with the ancient meaning and purpose of praying for bountiful harvests and prosperity for all families.

The beginning of winter is the first day of the winter season. The winter season usually falls on November 7th or 8th (depending on the year), after the Frost Falling season ends, and concludes on November 21st or 22nd, when the Minor Snow season begins.

According to the lunar calendar, the beginning of winter in 2022 falls on Monday, November 7th (Gregorian calendar), which is the 14th day of the 10th lunar month, and ends on November 22nd (Gregorian calendar), which is the 29th day of the 10th lunar month. This marks the beginning of winter, when sunlight and temperature in the northern half of the Earth drop significantly.

Characteristics of the Beginning of Winter (Lập đông)

The beginning of winter (Lập đông) coincides with the Northern Hemisphere being farther from the sun. Therefore, as winter approaches, temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere drop sharply, resulting in cold weather, weak sunlight, and shorter days and longer nights. Conversely, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the sun, experiencing summer in the South, which receives more solar radiation, higher temperatures, and longer days than nights.

The arrival of the beginning of winter also marks changes in temperature, sunlight, and humidity. This directly affects the growth of plants and animals, as well as the lives and activities of people.

According to ancient wisdom, if it rains heavily on the first day of winter (the beginning of winter), that winter will be warm. Conversely, if the sky is clear and rainless, the winter is likely to be very cold.

Furthermore, during the beginning of winter, some areas in Southeast Asia and China are strongly affected by cold air masses, causing water to evaporate completely, leaving the land dry and barren, resulting in severe droughts.

Winter arrives bringing cold, dry air, so people need to prepare to adapt to the cold. During this time, people should increase their intake of warm, nutritious foods and keep their bodies warm by dressing warmly, wearing scarves, and socks when going outside and even when sleeping to avoid the cold.

Cold weather tends to make people less active, which weakens their immune system. Therefore, even in cold weather, people should still exercise regularly to boost their immunity. The elderly and children, in particular, need to pay extra attention to both diet and exercise to maintain their health.

Furthermore, the weather at the beginning of winter is cold and dry, with long days and short nights, so people need to pay attention to adjusting their lifestyles to avoid disrupting the physiological function of yin and yang balance in the body.

Specifically, during the beginning of winter (Lập đông), people should go to bed early and may wake up a little later than usual to ensure sufficient sleep, which is good for energy recovery. Avoid going outside after sunset or when it is foggy, to avoid catching a cold and depleting vital energy.

(*) Much of the information above is for reference only.