Start of Winter (立冬, Lidong): Dates, Kimjang and the 亥 Month

Start of Winter (立冬, Lidong) is the 19th solar term, beginning when the sun reaches 225 degrees. It opens the Pig month (亥) and the whole winter quarter of the traditional calendar.

Dates

In 2026 Start of Winter arrives on 7 November at 18:52 Korea time. In 2027 it moves to 8 November at 00:38. Like the other 'start' terms (Start of Spring, Summer and Autumn), it sits halfway between a solstice and an equinox, so the East Asian winter begins about six weeks before the astronomical winter solstice.

It is a jie (節) term: the month pillar changes here. The 亥 month is Water, the first of the three winter branches 亥, 子 and 丑. In 2026 the new month pillar is 己亥, and in 2027 it is 辛亥. Minor Snow follows 14 days 21 hours 31 minutes later in 2026.

The 亥 month for every kind of year

Which stem sits on top of 亥 depends on the year stem, following the five-tigers rule (五虎遁). The branch is always 亥; only the stem rotates. The table shows all five possibilities and the two nearby years.

Month pillar that begins at Start of Winter, by year stem
Year stem	Pillar of the 亥 month	Example year
甲 or 己	乙亥
乙 or 庚	丁亥
丙 or 辛	己亥	2026 (丙午), from 2026-11-07 18:52
丁 or 壬	辛亥	2027 (丁未), from 2027-11-08 00:38
戊 or 癸	癸亥

What the name means

立 means to stand up or to be established, and 冬 is winter. The idea is that winter has now 'taken its stand'. It does not mean the coldest days are here; it means the direction of the season has turned, and from now on each week trends colder.

What changes in nature

In Korea the trees are mostly bare by now in the north, while late foliage lingers in the south. Water starts to form thin ice on cold mornings in inland areas. The classical almanac notes that water begins to freeze, the ground begins to harden with cold, and pheasants disappear into the sea to become large clams, another poetic image of creatures seeming to vanish in winter.

Seasonal foods: the kimjang season

In Korea, the weeks around Start of Winter are traditionally the time for kimjang, the big household kimchi-making for winter. Napa cabbages and radishes are at their best after autumn's cool nights, and families gather to salt, season and pack them. A mild white kimchi (baek kimchi) or a clear beef and radish soup uses the same fresh radish. In northern China, eating dumplings on Start of Winter is a widely known custom.

Gentle habits for the season

The classic medical text Huangdi Neijing (素問 · 四氣調神大論) describes the three winter months with the advice 「早臥晚起，必待日光」: go to bed early, get up late, and wait for the sunlight. Read as a lifestyle idea, it simply means following the shorter days.

Shift bedtime a little earlier as nights lengthen.
Get outside when the sun is up, even for a short walk.
Keep the neck and lower back covered on windy days.
Check the home for drafts and prepare winter clothes before the next cold snap.

A line of poetry

Bai Juyi's 《問劉十九》 (A Question for Liu the Nineteenth) captures the first snowy evening indoors: 「晚來天欲雪，能飲一杯無？」 "Evening falls and the sky looks like snow; will you stay and share a cup?" It is less about drinking than about warmth and company as winter comes in.

Questions

Is Start of Winter the coldest time?

No. It marks the turn of the season. The traditionally coldest terms, Minor Cold and Major Cold, come about two months later.

Which month pillar begins at Start of Winter 2026?

己亥, from 7 November 2026 at 18:52 KST, because 2026 is a 丙 year.

Why do people make kimchi around now?

Autumn cabbage and radish are at their peak, and cool weather lets kimchi ferment slowly, so the timing has long fitted kimjang.

What comes next?

Minor Snow (小雪), at 16:23 KST on 22 November 2026.

Recipes for this season

Abalone Rice Porridge (Jeonbokjuk) and the Water ElementKorean abalone porridge in 40 minutes: 2 abalone, 1 cup of rice, 6 cups of water. Why the tradition reads it as an even, all-season Water dish.Baek-kimchi: a Cool Metal White Kimchi without ChiliKorean white kimchi with napa cabbage, radish and pear in a clear brine, no chili. How the tradition reads its white colour as Metal.Black Sesame Porridge: a Black, Water-Element BowlBlack sesame porridge in 20 minutes with 4 tbsp black sesame and glutinous rice. Why black foods are read as Water, for autumn and winter tables.Broccoli and Tofu Salad: a 15-Minute Wood and Water SideA 15-minute Korean side of blanched broccoli and mashed tofu, and how the five-element tradition reads its green Wood and soft Water.Chestnut Rice (Bam-bap): an Autumn Earth BowlKorean chestnut rice for 2 in 50 minutes: 10 peeled chestnuts and 3 jujubes on soaked rice. Why the tradition reads it as Earth.Ginger and Jujube Chicken Soup for Cold MonthsChicken soup with ginger, 6 jujubes and 5 garlic cloves, simmered 45 minutes. A warm Fire and Earth dish the tradition sets for autumn and winter.