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Sanggang means frost falls; it is the last term of autumn. The foliage reaches its peak and people begin readying for winter.
Sanggang, around October 23, is when the first frost falls. It is the time to finish the harvest and turn to winter preparations.
Frost withers the grass and leaves, and insects vanish. The foliage is at its most beautiful before the leaves fall.
People made flower pancakes with frost-touched chrysanthemums and enjoyed chrysanthemum wine. They stored the harvested grain as winter provisions.
Sanggang (Frost Descent) begins when the Sun reaches 210° of ecliptic longitude and is the last term of autumn. · First pentad, 豺乃祭獸 — the dhole lays out the animals it has caught. · Second pentad, 草木黃落 — grasses and trees turn yellow and shed their leaves. · Third pentad, 蟄蟲咸俯 — insects bound for hibernation all curl up and lie still. The 'offering' (祭) of prey appears three times in the 72 pentads: the otter at Usu, the hawk at Cheoseo and the dhole at Sanggang — hunters of water, sky and land taking their turn season by season. The second pentad records what the frost in Sanggang's name actually does, and the third means that insects which sealed their doors at the autumn equinox now stop moving altogether. In Korea too, first frost, peak foliage and falling leaves arrive together around this time, so Sanggang's second pentad overlaps neatly with the Korean late autumn.
Autumn radishes turn firm and sweet around Sanggang. Cut into thick strips and sun-dried, they become mumallaengi, while the radish tops, braided and dried in the shade, become siraegi to use all winter. Astringent persimmons are picked now, then peeled and hung to become gotgam (dried persimmons) or boxed to soften into hongsi. On mornings with the first frost, windscreens begin to ice over, so if your commute is tight, cover the windscreen the night before. Shorter days and drier air bring the humidifier back out; wash and dry its tank first in case scale built up during summer storage. On Sanggang foliage hikes, allow for the early sunset and plan to be off the mountain an hour or two earlier than you would in summer.
| Year | Begins at |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Oct 23, 07:15 |
| 2025 | Oct 23, 12:51 |
| 2026 this year | Oct 23, 18:38 |
| 2027 | Oct 24, 00:33 |
| 2028 | Oct 23, 06:13 |
Frost Descent is a jungi (中氣) rather than a jeol (節), so the Four Pillars month pillar does not change here. It marks the middle of a season.
Taking Frost Descent alone: it fell at Oct 23, 12:51 in 2025 and at Oct 23, 18:38 in 2026 — roughly 5.8 hours later. The date jumps back a day in 2028 because that is a leap year, so February 29 falls before the term begins.
By longitude, Frost Descent sits at 210° and the next term Start of Winter at 225° — about 15 days apart.
Begin kimjang and winter preparations
Enjoy the peak foliage
Mind your health against first frost and temperature swings
Store over-wintering vegetables
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Frost Descent is the 18th of the 24 solar terms, falling around October 23. Frost begins to fall. The last of autumn, when winter preparations begin.
Sanggang means frost falls; it is the last term of autumn. The foliage reaches its peak and people begin readying for winter.
Begin kimjang and winter preparations Enjoy the peak foliage Mind your health against first frost and temperature swings Store over-wintering vegetables