Major Snow (Daxue 大雪): dates, pentads and the BaZi month change
Snowfall gets heavier. Lowland Taiwan never sees snow; high peaks such as Hehuanshan only get a chance during strong cold surges, mostly between December and February.
Major Snow dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Date | Time (Taiwan, UTC+8) | Month pillar from this moment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | December 7 | 10:52 | Geng-Zi 庚子 month |
| 2027 | December 7 | 16:37 | Ren-Zi 壬子 month |
| 2028 | December 6 | 22:24 | Jia-Zi 甲子 month |
| 2029 | December 7 | 04:13 | Bing-Zi 丙子 month |
| 2030 | December 7 | 10:07 | Wu-Zi 戊子 month |
| 2031 | December 7 | 16:02 | Geng-Zi 庚子 month |
| 2032 | December 6 | 21:53 | Ren-Zi 壬子 month |
| 2033 | December 7 | 03:44 | Jia-Zi 甲子 month |
| 2034 | December 7 | 09:36 | Bing-Zi 丙子 month |
| 2035 | December 7 | 15:25 | Wu-Zi 戊子 month |
Times computed by our calendar code (UTC+8); they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. Between 1901 and 2100, Major Snow always falls on December 6–8. Subtract 8 hours for UTC.
The three pentads of Major Snow
| Sign of the season | When | |
|---|---|---|
| First pentad | Night birds fall silent (鶡鴠不鳴) | about days 1–5 after Major Snow |
| Second pentad | Tigers begin to mate (虎始交) | about days 6–10 after Major Snow |
| Third pentad | Iris shoots push up (荔挺出) | about days 11–15 after Major Snow |
The ancients split each solar term into three pentads (hou 候) of about five days each, and marked them by changes in birds, animals and plants: seventy-two pentads a year. These follow the standard list in Wu Cheng's Yuan-dynasty Collected Explanations of the Seventy-Two Pentads. They were observed in the Yellow River basin, so they do not always match what you see in Taiwan, let alone elsewhere. Some, like hawks turning into doves, record old beliefs rather than biology.
Major Snow in the sky: where the Sun is
The solar terms follow the Sun along the ecliptic: one term for every 15°, and Major Snow is the moment the Sun reaches longitude 255°. In 2027, at Major Snow the Sun sits against the stars of Ophiuchus (drowned out by daylight, of course).
What Major Snow means in BaZi
Major Snow is a jie (節, "node") term: from this moment the Zi month (子) begins, the month that roughly matches the 11th lunar month, and the BaZi month pillar switches to a new pillar. The Zi month's element is Water, so for people born in it, Water is usually "in season" and strong in the chart.
BaZi months are not counted from the lunar new moon but from the jie terms: Start of Spring, Awakening of Insects, Pure Brightness, Start of Summer, Grain in Ear, Minor Heat, Start of Autumn, White Dew, Cold Dew, Start of Winter, Major Snow and Minor Cold each open a month. If you were born on the day of a jie term, within a few hours of it, your month pillar (and for the Start of Spring, your year pillar too) can shift by one; it depends on the exact time. See solar term boundaries, and for how the month's heavenly stem is worked out, the month pillar.
Look up the solar terms for any year
Pick a year to list the exact time of all 24 solar terms (Taiwan time, UTC+8) and the month pillar each jie term starts. Add a month and day, such as a birthday, to see which solar-term period it falls in and its month pillar. Everything is calculated in your browser.
The times come from the same calendar code our BaZi charts use; for 1901–2100 they agree with an astronomical calculation to within about a minute. If you were born within minutes of a term changing, see solar term boundaries.
The terms before and after
The previous term is Minor Snow; the next is Winter Solstice.
A straight word: solar terms are astronomy; luck is something else
The twenty-four solar terms divide the year by the Sun's position on the ecliptic, and their times can be computed to the second. BaZi uses them to change the year and the month; that is a rule of calculation. A solar term carries no good or bad luck of its own, and no term is a "better" one to be born in: a chart is read as a whole, by its Five Elements and Ten Gods. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Born in the Zi month? See your whole chart
The month branch is the most important pillar in BaZi: it sets how strong each of the Five Elements is. Enter your birth date for a free Four Pillars chart.
Major Snow: common questions
What date is Major Snow in 2026?
In 2026, Major Snow falls on December 7 at 10:52 Taiwan time (UTC+8); in 2027 it is December 7 at 16:37.
Why does Major Snow move from year to year?
A solar term is the moment the Sun reaches a set longitude, here 255°. A year is about 365.24 days, not a whole number, and leap years reset the count, so the date drifts within a few days. From 1901 to 2100, Major Snow always falls on December 6–8.
What are the three pentads of Major Snow?
First: Night birds fall silent (鶡鴠不鳴); second: Tigers begin to mate (虎始交); third: Iris shoots push up (荔挺出). They follow the standard Yuan-dynasty list.
What does Major Snow do in a BaZi chart?
It is a jie term: from this moment BaZi switches to the Zi month and the month pillar changes.