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Soseol means "lesser snow," when the first snow begins to fall. Thin ice forms and cold winds turn fierce.
Soseol, around November 22, is when snow begins to fall. The ground freezes and winter cold sets in.
The "Soseol cold" brings a brief, biting chill. It is said to be the time of strong "Sondol winds."
People finished kimjang and stored winter foods like dried radish greens and dried persimmons. They boiled soybeans to ready their sauces.
Soseol (Lesser Snow) begins when the Sun reaches 240° of ecliptic longitude. · First pentad, 虹藏不見 — the rainbow hides and is not seen. · Second pentad, 天氣上升地氣下降 — the energy of heaven rises and the energy of earth sinks. · Third pentad, 閉塞而成冬 — everything closes and is sealed, and winter takes shape. The first pentad pairs with Cheongmyeong's 'rainbows appear for the first time': the observation that rainbows rarely form once snow replaces rain and sunlight weakens is expressed as the rainbow 'hiding'. The second and third pentads are unusual among the 72 in explaining the season purely through the movement of yin and yang, with no plant or animal at all. Heaven's energy and earth's energy drift apart and no longer meet, so nothing can pass between them and all is shut. The Book of Rites ('Yueling') adds at this point that 'heaven and earth do not communicate' (天地不通). It is an apt description of the grey, desolate early-winter skies over Korea around Soseol.
From around Soseol, gwamegi from the east coast of North Gyeongsang comes into full season: Pacific saury or herring dried by repeatedly freezing and thawing in the cold sea wind, eaten wrapped in laver and seaweed with spring onion and garlic. Open-field mandarins are in season too, and many families buy them by the box; one soft fruit quickly spoils its neighbours, so open the box the day you bring it home, pick out any damaged ones, and keep the rest somewhere cool. This is when the first sub-zero cold arrives, making it a good moment to check water meters and boiler pipes. In corridor-style apartments and detached houses, stuff the meter box with old clothes or insulation, and wrap any exposed boiler pipes with insulating material to help prevent burst pipes when a cold wave hits.
The biting wind around Soseol was called the Sondol wind, and the cold of this time the Sondol cold. According to a tale recorded in the Dongguk Sesigi and elsewhere, a Goryeo king fleeing to Ganghwa Island grew suspicious when his boatman, Sondol, steered into a treacherous channel, and had him executed — yet the boat crossed safely just as Sondol had said. Afterwards, it was said, a fierce wind would blow out of his grievance around the 20th day of the tenth lunar month, the day Sondol died. Soseol usually falls in the tenth lunar month, which is why the story travels with this term's wind. The narrow strait between Ganghwa and Gimpo, Sondolmok, is said to be named after him.
| Year | Begins at |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Nov 22, 04:56 |
| 2025 | Nov 22, 10:36 |
| 2026 this year | Nov 22, 16:23 |
| 2027 | Nov 22, 22:16 |
| 2028 | Nov 22, 03:54 |
Lesser Snow 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 Lesser Snow alone: it fell at Nov 22, 10:36 in 2025 and at Nov 22, 16:23 in 2026 — roughly 5.8 hours later.
By longitude, Lesser Snow sits at 240° and the next term Greater Snow at 255° — about 15 days apart.
Finish kimjang and store winter foods
Bundle up against sharp cold and wind
Stock winter foods like dried persimmons
Check heating safety
Adjacent terms:
Explore related fortunes
Lesser Snow is the 20th of the 24 solar terms, falling around November 22. The first snow falls. The "Soseol cold" bites with sharp winds.
Soseol means "lesser snow," when the first snow begins to fall. Thin ice forms and cold winds turn fierce.
Finish kimjang and store winter foods Bundle up against sharp cold and wind Stock winter foods like dried persimmons Check heating safety